"It's time to make this match" in Algeria, said on Tuesday the President of the French Football Federation, Noël Le Graët, asked about the possibility of a meeting in 2020 between the world champions and the champions of 'Africa. According to the radio, the Algerian Federation has proposed to the FFF to organize a match between the two nations, in Oran in 2020, which would be a first on Algerian soil.
"Since I'm here, I want to go to Algeria because it's the only country we do not meet, but it's still 60 years later (Algeria's independence vis-à-vis of France, ed), that we can play football "there, said Le Graët, in office since 2011 and whose mandate runs until the end of 2020." I have been an advocate for eight years "to organize such a meeting, "I want to go play in Algeria" and "it's time to make this match," he insisted.
"All the young people there know our championship and they want to see the France team"
The two teams met only once, during a friendly match in October 2001 at the Stade de France. The match between defending world and European champions Zinédine Zidane against the current coach Djamel Belmadi, who scored on that night, had to be interrupted after the supporters of Algeria. "I will move as quickly as possible, we will perhaps make matches with young people to see in what conditions we can find agreements with Algeria," said Le Graët, referring to "security cases" and a necessary consultation with the Elysée on this subject.
According to the president of the FFF, a match Algeria-France "was never done because the former president (Fernand Duchaussoy, in office from mid-2010 to mid-2011, ed), who was a friend, did not has never managed to reach an agreement ... perhaps with the Algerian state. Le Graet was convinced that holding such a meeting would be a party. "All the young people there know our championship, know our players and they want to see the France team," he said.