Hichem Abderrebi call-up leaves Algeria U20 facing selection confusion

Hichem Abderrebi’s inclusion in France U19’s squad has caused confusion over his availability for Algeria U20’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The 18-year-old midfielder was included on a list published by the Union nord-africaine de football (UNAF) on Wednesday ahead of next year’s U20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which will lead to the tournament in Ghana.

However, Abderrebi’s name was absent from the list released by the Federation algerienne de football (FAF) on Monday.

The discrepancy appears to have resulted from UNAF publishing an earlier squad list submitted by the FAF, before the Algerian federation issued its final selection without Abderrebi.

That change is understood to be linked to the player’s call-up by France U19, which was confirmed by Montpellier. Abderrebi had been strongly expected to feature in Hocine El Orfi’s Algeria U20 squad in recent days.

Abderrebi is eligible to represent Algeria because of his parents’ origins. His selection for France U19 therefore appears to have prompted the FAF to remove him from its final list, although his international future is not permanently settled.

The Bordeaux-born player remains eligible for Algeria U20 and Algeria U23, as well as the senior national team, Algeria A.

Abderrebi has moved from Montpellier’s U19 side last season into the first-team rotation at the beginning of this campaign. He has made seven appearances in Ligue 2, starting three of those matches.

Algeria will begin its U20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Tunisia on Thursday at 14:30 Algerian time. The match will be played at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia.

The team will then face Libya on Sunday before meeting Morocco and hosts Egypt on 30 September and 6 October respectively.

Only the top two teams from the qualifying group will reach the final tournament in Ghana next year.