The month of Ramadan coincided with 5 sporting events that the Algerians will not forget

The month of Ramadan in the history of Algerian sports coincided with a number of events that Algerians will not forget. These events are related to tournaments or disappointments that have been entrenched in the sporting memory of one of the peoples most attached to football and a number of other sports.

World Cup 82

In the World Cup that took place in Spain in 1982, the Algerian national team achieved two achievements in the eyes of football fans, the first of which was the honorable participation that made it close to qualifying for the second round, after defeating the world champion Germany, and the second pushing FIFA to introduce a new law.

The Algerian team defeated its Chilean counterpart 3-2 on June 24, 1982, which marked the third of Ramadan in the year 1402 AH.

And what is known as the "Gijon scandal" prevented the Algerian national team from qualifying for the second round, despite having 4 points, and the maximum is the next day corresponding to the fourth of Ramadan.

The Algerians who attended the Germany-Austria match on the fourth of Ramadan will not forget the disappointment they experienced after following what is known as the "farce".

Germany’s victory by one goal secured qualification with Austria and the exit of Algeria. Germany scored its first goal against its European neighbor, after which the balls were exchanged as if it was a non-competitive match. The two teams leave, and then a scene spread for a fan in which a West German flag was burned due to what had happened.

After that match, the Algerian national team filed a complaint with the International Football Association (FIFA), which decided since that incident to hold the last matches in the group stage at the same time to prevent tampering with the results, a decision in force to this day.

World Cup Mexico

The former star of the Algerian team, Lakhdar Belloumi, said that he and his colleagues had broken their fast to play in the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, stressing that the players had obtained a fatwa permitting their breakfast by the Mufti who accompanied the Algerian delegation to the World Cup.

In statements to the Algerian newspaper Al-Shorouk, Belloumi said that "the officials in charge of the Algerian Football Federation during that period took all necessary measures so that the players would not be confused about their affairs and confused matters in the matches, and therefore they took a mufti imam with them to Mexico."

London Olympics

Algerian runner Tawfiq Makhloufi gave his country, in Ramadan 1433 AH, a deserved gold in the 1500-meter race, and the Algerians do not forget that race, which the pioneers of social media are still sharing their videos proud of Makhloufi's determination in the London Olympics in 2012.

World Cup Brazil

The Algerian team's qualification for the second round of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil coincided with the beginning of the month of Ramadan, when a wide debate arose about the team's ability to perform in full fitness if they adhere to fasting.

The Fatwa Committee of the Supreme Islamic Council in Algeria announced its position on the issue, acknowledging the permissibility of breakfast for Algerian players during their match against the German national team, and well-known sheikhs in Algeria supported this opinion as a matter of the permissibility of breakfast for the traveler.

For his part, Sheikh Muhammad rejected the fatwa, saying, “Breakfast for players during the day in Ramadan is forbidden,” justifying his fatwa that “traveling for the sake of playing does not allow breakfast.” Science, not with the aim of playing football or any other game. "

Qualifying match for the World Cup South Africa

The match that the Algerian team, led by coach Rabah Saadane, fought against Senegal in 2008 was not just a qualifying match, but rather a decisive obstacle for the "Greens" in order to qualify for the last round of the qualifiers for the African continent to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa.

The match that took place on September 5, 2008, coinciding with the month of Ramadan, held the breath of Algerians who had dreamed of returning to participate in the World Cup after a long absence from the international date.

The confrontation ended with Algeria winning 3-2, and qualified for the next round before it secured the pass to the World Cup finals after the top of its group, which included Egypt, Zambia and Rwanda.