Rayan Ait-Nouri leaves Algeria camp after Zambia touchline dispute

Rayan Ait-Nouri has been removed from Algeria’s squad by manager Brahim Hemdani following an incident during Friday’s 3-1 win over Zambia.

The Manchester City left-back was told to leave the national-team camp on Saturday, according to a brief statement from the Algerian Football Federation (FAF).

The decision followed an exchange during the opening match of Algeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign in Tizi-Ouzou.

Ait-Nouri, 25, began the game on the bench, with Jaouen Hadjam selected at left-back. Hadjam scored Algeria’s opening goal after only two minutes.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender, who has made only two club appearances this season, including one start, appeared frustrated by his lack of involvement. His reaction escalated in the second half while he was warming up.

After Zambia equalised, members of the Algeria staff asked Ait-Nouri to wait. When Algeria scored their second goal, he was then instructed to resume his warm-up.

Ait-Nouri refused to follow those instructions, leading to a confrontation which required several players and Moussa Saib, the Fennecs’ general manager, to intervene.

Hemdani avoided discussing the incident in detail during his post-match news conference, but indicated that disciplinary action could follow.

“I don’t want to talk about an individual case. Our mission here is to serve the national team and defend its interests, nothing else,” he said.

“If an unusual situation were to arise, whether at club or international level, we would take the necessary measures. In this particular case, there is nothing more to say about the matter.”

Ait-Nouri will therefore miss Algeria’s second qualifying fixture against Burundi in Bujumbura next Tuesday. He will also be unavailable for the home match against Niger in Tizi-Ouzou on 6 October.

The episode could damage his prospects of being included in future Algeria squads, particularly after he had hoped to use the international break to regain match sharpness following his limited playing time for Manchester City.

Hemdani’s firm response has been welcomed by some Algeria supporters. They have described Ait-Nouri’s behaviour as “unacceptable” and viewed the decision to remove him from the group as necessary for squad management and as a warning to the other players.

The stance also marks a sharp contrast with the perceived coolness of Hemdani’s predecessor, Vladimir Petkovic, according to those supporters.