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Youcef Atal

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Youcef Atal
Atal with Nice in 2022
Personal information
Full name Youcef Atal[1]
Date of birth (1996-05-17) 17 May 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Boghni, Algeria
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Al Sadd
Number 77
Youth career
2006–2008 CR Belouizdad
2008–2011 JS Kabylie
2011–2012 USM Alger
2012–2014 JS Kabylie
2014–2015 Paradou AC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Paradou AC 46 (5)
2017–2018 → Kortrijk (loan) 10 (0)
2018–2024 Nice 101 (12)
2024 Adana Demirspor 11 (1)
2024– Al Sadd 0 (0)
International career‡
2017– Algeria 41 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Algeria
Africa Cup of Nations
Winner 2019 Egypt
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:46, 31 May 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:53, 5 September 2024 (UTC)

Youcef Atal (Arabic: يوسف عطال; born 17 May 1996) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd and the Algeria national team.

Club career

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After beginning his professional career in his native Algeria with Paradou AC, Atai was sent on loan to Belgian club KV Kortrijk in 2017. Despite a season in which he suffered a myriad of injuries, Kortrijk nevertheless decided to exercise the purchase option in the loan.[3] Atal joined French club Nice from Kortrijk in 2018, and started the opening match of the season.[4] He scored his first goal for his new side in November, recorded a hat-trick in April, and ended his first season with six total goals.[4][5] He underwent surgery in December 2019 to repair a torn meniscus.[6][7]

On 9 February 2024, Atal signed for Turkish Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor until the end of the season.[8]

In September 2024, Al-Sadd SC of the Qatar Stars League signed Atal to a two-year contract.[9]

International career

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On 1 June 2017, Atal was called up to the Algeria national team for the first time for a friendly match against Guinea and a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo.[10]

In December 2023, he was named in Algeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[11]

Controversy

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On 14 October 2023, amidst the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Atal posted a video on social media of Palestinian preacher Mahmoud al-Hasanat asking God to "send Jewish people a dark day". He quickly removed the video after receiving criticism, notably from Nice mayor Christian Estrosi, who stated that unless Atal "denounces Hamas terrorists, he no longer has a place at [OGC Nice]".[12] Atal subsequently published a message on Instagram apologizing for posting the video, and clarified his beliefs by stating that he "denounce[s] all forms of violence".[12] On 16 October, the Nice public prosecutor's office initiated a preliminary investigation into Atal on charges of "defending terrorism".[13] Two days later, OGC Nice suspended Atal until further notice after the anti-Semitic post.[14] On 25 October, he was suspended for seven matches by the Ligue de Football Professionnel for posting the message.[15]

On the 24 November, Atal was detained by French Police over the anti-Semitic posts.[16] In January 2024, Atal was convicted of inciting religious hatred and given an eight-month suspended sentence.[17]

Career statistics

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International

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As of match played 5 September 2024[18]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Algeria 2017 4 0
2018 2 1
2019 12 0
2021 4 0
2022 7 1
2023 5 0
2024 8 0
Total 41 2
Algeria score listed first, score column indicates score after each Atal goal.[18]
List of international goals scored by Youcef Atal
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 18 November 2018 Stade Municipal, Lomé, Togo 6  Togo 2–0 4–1 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification [19]
2 27 September 2022 Olympic Stadium, Oran, Algeria 28  Nigeria 2–1 2–1 Friendly [20]

Honours

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Paradou AC

Nice

Algeria

References

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  1. ^ "Algeria" (PDF). Confederation of African Football. 15 June 2019. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Youcef Atal". OGC Nice. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  3. ^ Oliveira, Steven (4 December 2018). "Youcef Atal, le déjeuner est servi". SOFOOT.com (in French). Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Youcef Atal, le jour où..." OGC Nice (in French). 5 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Youcef Atal 2018-2019 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Atal : « Je me sens bien »". OGC Nice (in French). 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Lésion méniscale pour Atal". OGC Nice (in French). Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Algeria's Atal signs for Turkish club after France conviction". France 24. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Youcef Atal joins Al-Sadd until 2026 – Al Sadd Sports Club". 9 September 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  10. ^ M-A-D (1 June 2017). "EN : 25 joueurs convoqués par Alcaraz, beaucoup de nouveautés". DZfoot (in French). Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  11. ^ "CAN 2024 : L'Algérie Dévoile sa Liste Officielle – Qui Sont les Fennecs Prêts à Conquérir l'Afrique ?" (in French). Algérie-Focus. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b "OGC Nice's Youcef Atal apologises for anti-semitic social media post - Get French Football News". 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Youcef Atal: Nice and Algeria defender investigated for alleged antisemitic social media post". BBC Sport. 16 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Youcef Atal: Nice suspend Algeria defender for alleged antisemitic social media post". BBC Sport. 18 October 2023.
  15. ^ "French league suspends Atal for 7 games for sharing an antisemitic message on social media". AP News. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  16. ^ "French Police detain Youcef Atal for posting social media post on Israel-Hamas war". wionews.com. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Youcef Atal: Nice's Algeria defender given eight-month suspended sentence for inciting religious hatred". BBC Sport. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Youcef Atal". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Afcon 2019: Mahrez brace helps Algeria qualify for Nations Cup". BBC Sport. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Algeria vs. Nigeria - Football Match Summary". ESPN. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Ludovic Blas penalty wins French Cup for Nantes". BBC Sport. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  22. ^ Rose, Gary (19 July 2019). "Senegal 0–1 Algeria". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
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