Algerian player Ahmed Touba was widely praised after he refused to go to the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, with his Turkish team, Istanbul Basaksehir, to face the Israeli club Maccabi Netanya, in the second leg of the preliminary round of the European Football Conference League matches.
Yesterday, Wednesday, Israeli and Algerian media confirmed that Touba refused to travel to Israel on Thursday evening to play the match, after talking about his refusal to participate in the first leg match that was in Istanbul last week.
In a heroic position, the Algerian player #Ahmed_Touba refuses to travel with his Turkish club to the Zionist entity for a friendly interview.
#normalization_betrayal pic.twitter.com/Q8Qe2T0G7L
— Abu Luqman 🇩🇿 🇵🇸✌️🚨 (@DjahidLokman) July 28, 2022
The first leg match in Turkey ended in a 1-1 draw between the two teams.
The Algerian defender won wide praise from the Arab and Algerian republics, who saluted Touba, whose position was met with insults from the Maccabi audience, according to Arab activists who expressed their great pride in his position, which they described as manly, and their support for him against any Israeli campaigns to undermine him.
Algerian international defender, Ahmed Touba, announced his refusal to go to the occupied territories with his Turkish team, Istanbul Basaksehir, to face Maccabi Netanya in the preliminary round of the European Conference League matches.
More: https://t.co/nIvqasx90K pic.twitter.com/ankBSh8XUL
— County (@Boycott4Pal) July 28, 2022
A number of tweeters described the decision of repentance as "heroic and manly" after refusing to go to the "Zionist entity", as they said.
Although Touba, 24, has Belgian citizenship, he chose to represent the Algerian national team, where his family belongs.
Touba joined the Turkish team last June from Dutch "RKC Waalvik".
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A post shared by Ahmed Touba Ahmed Touba 🇩🇿 (@touba_ahmed)
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ahmed Touba Ahmed Touba 🇩🇿 (@touba_ahmed)
Algerian international Ahmed Touba strongly refuses to go with his Turkish team, Basaksehir, to face Maccabi Club on our occupied Palestinian lands in the framework of the European Conference competition matches.
The player received a lot of insults from the fans of Maccabi Club through his account on Instagram
We are proud of you, Ahmed Touba ✊🏽❤️🇩🇿 pic.twitter.com/UrlziOhtrV
— ¹¹Raed 🇵🇸 (@RA_LFC11) July 28, 2022
Algerian international 🇩🇿 Ahmed Touba refuses to confront a team from Kayan Al-Sous with his Turkish team
, Basak Shahir.
— Ghanou Annaba (@GhanouAnnaba1) July 27, 2022
The honorable position of the Algerian international defender, Ahmed Touba, after he refused to go with his team Istanbul Basaksehir to the occupied entity, to face the Maccabi Netanya team in the preliminary round qualifying for the European Conference League.
pic.twitter.com/XJVo5QOaIY
- #Saudis_with_Al-Aqsa (@Saudis2018) July 28, 2022
We are all Ahmed Tawba
, do not be ashamed, Ahmed, you are a hero https://t.co/wKRH9wawu4
— Ziad Yasser (@fcb1616) July 27, 2022
A manly act by the Algerian international player #Ahmed_Touba
by refusing to travel with his club #Istanbul_Bashakshehir, Turkey, to confront a club from the Zionist entity.
— 𝑺𝑶𝒀_𝑩𝑹𝑨𝑯𝑰𝑴 (@MisterCorleonee) July 27, 2022
#Ahmed_Touba , we
value his position, and he is not new to every free Algerian. We wish him more brilliance. #Algeria #Normalization_Betrayal https://t.co/HnkRgU98mk
— Nora (@xJmJmcYtDfZpyMR) July 27, 2022