Francesco Farioli: “Yocef Atal Will Be Available to Play with OGC Nice”
OGC Nice coach, Francesco Farioli, made controversial statements regarding the future of Algerian international, Youcef Atal, with the French club, following his suspension by the French League suspended for 7 matches, scheduled for December 20.
Caught in a media and legal storm since October, Youcef Atal has not played with OGC Nice since October 1, the Algerian full-back seems set for a complicated future. But his coach, Francesco Farioli, confided that Fennec will be available to the group once his sanction has been served.
The Italian coach spoke diplomatically about Atal remaining with the French club, during the press conference that preceded OGC Nice’s match against Stade de Reims on Sunday, for the 15th day of League 1.
Farioli opened the door for the Greens defender to automatically return to the competition and regain his place in the OGC Nice squad, saying: “The suspension will end with the Lens match (scheduled for December 20). Afterwards, he will be available to play with the club”.
But the rest of the Nice coach’s words about the Algerian player were ambiguous and unclear, as he said: “Until then, there isn’t much more to say. Like all suspended players, he must help the players who are on the pitch and continue to work”.
It should be noted that the French League of Professional Football punished Youcef Atal by suspending him from the competition for 7 full matches over allegations of his solidarity with Palestine and his condemnation of the Zionist aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
The Ligue 1 side said Atal, 27, has since deleted the post and apologised, with the Nice public prosecutor’s office and the French Football Federation set to investigate.
A statement on Nice’s website read: “As soon as he returned from Algeria national team duty, where he had been since October 9, Youcef Atal was contacted by the directors of OGC Nice for a conversation”.
“OGC Nice understands that the player has acknowledged his error by quickly withdrawing the sharing of the publication and has offered a written public apology”, it added.
“Nevertheless, given the nature of the publication shared, and its seriousness, the club has decided to take immediate disciplinary action against the player, before any action that may be taken by sporting and legal authorities. As such, the club has decided to suspend Youcef Atal until further notice”.
“We would like to emphasise that OGC Nice’s reputation and unity are the result of the behaviour of all its employees, which must be in line with the values promoted by the institution”.
“As OGC Nice expressed in its message last Friday, it reiterates its firm commitment to ensuring that peace prevails over all other considerations.”
In addition to the undeserved sporting punishment, the Algerian international is expected to appear before the Nice Court on December 18, on charges of incitement to hatred.
It is worth remembering that the Paradou Academy graduate, Youcef Atal, joined OGC Nice in the summer of 2018, coming from Belgian club Courtrai, for 350,000 euros. He was able to shine and impose himself as one of the most important players in the club and one of the most prominent defenders in the French Ligue.
