FC Nantes terminates the contract of Younes Benali, who left for CAN U17 with Algeria

Younes Benali is playing in the Under-17 African Cup (April 29 to May 19 in Algeria), but now finds himself without a club. The 16-year-old midfielder has decided to join the Algerian team without the agreement of his club, FC Nantes. The contract was broken in recent days, after warnings from the management of the Canaries, explaining that the competition is not part of the FIFA calendar and that its workforce is particularly limited among the U17s.

Termination rider. (Instagram/Algerian Talents)

The player, who knew the risk, wanted to speak at a press conference on Monday. “Since I was little, I have played for FC Nantes. And as many know, I’m in love with this club, it’s my favorite club. I have always respected it, since I was little I did everything there. This year, I had the opportunity to represent my country, Algeria. It is not given to everyone to represent this country. It is a great pride. »

Above all, the player defends himself from any bad decision. “I did everything well. With the club, we did not really agree on a few points. I complied with everything I had to do. I decided to go to Algeria. I was not disrespectful. I made the choice to respect my country and it must be respected. Afterwards, there are those who do not agree with me. But the most important thing is to go as far as possible in the African Cup. »

In this competition, Algeria started with a victory against Somalia (2-0) on Saturday. Holder, Benali played the whole game. Les Fennecs will challenge Senegal on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Congo on Friday at 9 p.m. The four CAN U17 semi-finalists will qualify for the U17 World Cup (November 10 to December 2).