Khaled Ben Yahia declines to intervene after Mouloudia dispute

Khaled Ben Yahia declined to intervene after a dispute between Ayoub Abdellaoui and Mohamed Zougrana at the end of Mouloudia’s match against Chabab Timouchent. The incident, which prompted extensive discussion among supporters, involved the team captain and the Burkina Faso international midfielder.

A source within Mouloudia said the coach regarded the incident as normal, particularly because it happened after the final whistle rather than during the match. Zougrana, meanwhile, told people close to him that he had had enough of Abdellaoui’s repeated remarks. He considers his patience with his captain’s behaviour exhausted and no longer wants to be blamed for recurring mistakes in the defence. That frustration, the source said, explains his strong reaction after the match.

The disagreement followed Abdellaoui’s reproach of his teammate over a dangerous move in the closing moments. A Chabab Timouchent forward nearly capitalised on it to equalise, before Ramdane made a decisive intervention. The captain rejected responsibility for the sequence, which also involved Ayoub Ghazala and the goalkeeper, and instead accused Zougrana of losing the ball in midfield and starting the opposing counterattack.

Abdellaoui also justified his anger to his teammates. He said Zougrana had kept possession, tried to dribble and then lost the ball instead of passing. After the final whistle, Zougrana refused to join his teammates in greeting the supporters. Their attempts to calm him did not ease the tension.

Mouloudia must now prepare to face Association de Chlef on Tuesday in a postponed match at the latter’s ground. It will be another test for Ben Yahia’s players. Earlier, the club’s management had renewed the contracts of several key players, including Ayoub Abdellaoui, Abdelkader Menazla and Mohamed Benkhemassa.