Parole for Atal
National player convicted for anti-Jewish post
January 3, 2024, 4:57 p.m
The Algerian international Youcef Atal, who plays for the OGC Nice football club, has received eight months of probation for an anti-Semitic post on social networks. A court in Nice sentenced the 27-year-old for inciting religious hatred.
After spreading an anti-Jewish social media post, Algerian national soccer player Youcef Atal was sentenced to eight months in prison by French first division club OGC Nice. The 27-year-old also has to pay a fine of 45,000 euros for “inciting hatred for religious reasons”, as the criminal court in Nice decided.
In October, shortly after the bloody attack on Israel by the radical Islamic organization Hamas, in which 1,200 people were killed on Israeli soil, Atal shared a post on social media in connection with the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in which a “black Day for the Jews” was called. Atal has around three million followers on Instagram.
After a tip from the club, the defender removed the post and Nice have suspended him from playing until further notice. A seven-game ban imposed by the French football association LFP has now expired.
Atal will probably appeal
Atal was temporarily arrested by French police at the end of November after an investigation had been opened against him on October 16 for “glorifying Hamas’ terrorism.”
At his court hearing in December, Atal had again apologized. He reiterated that he wanted to send “a message of peace” and that he did not watch the video until the end. According to the ruling, the professional must also pay for details of his conviction to be published in the regional daily Nice-Matin and the national newspaper Le Monde.
According to Atal’s lawyer Antoine Vey, the court’s decision was “to be expected given the context and the strong political pressure,” Vey told the AFP news agency. The lawyer announced that Atal would likely appeal the verdict. Atal will be in action with the Algerian national team at the Africa Cup of Nations next week.