The Algerian Federation defends Belmadi after Samuel Eto'o's complaint
The Algerian Football Federation said today that coach Djamel Belmadi did not bring any accusation against the Cameroon Federation during his interview with the Federation channel on YouTube earlier this week.
Algeria was on the cusp of reaching the 2022 World Cup finals before conceding a goal in the last seconds of extra time, losing 2-1 at home on March 29 against Cameroon, which snatched the ticket to appear in Qatar thanks to the away goal rule.
Samuel Eto'o, head of the Cameroon Federation, had announced that he had filed a complaint with the FIFA Integrity Committee regarding Belmadi's statements about Bakary Gassama, the referee of the return match, which he considered offensive to the referee.
The Algerian Federation responded in a statement signed by its president, Charafeddine Amara, "Neither the Algerian Federation nor the national coach Djamel Belmadi mentioned or accused the Cameroon Football Federation. Belmadi spoke in his dialogue about some referees who negatively affect the course of the meetings, including the referee who ran the return match between Algeria and Cameroon.
The Algerian Federation had submitted a complaint to FIFA about what it called "blatant arbitration", after "unfair" decisions by Gambian referee Gassama in the return match.
The statement indicated that the Algerian Federation used its legitimate right to defend its interests.
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