Mouloudia Alger rejects Nigerians’ accusations

Mouloudia Alger’s leadership has responded to accusations from the Nigerians after the match against Enugu Rangers, played on Sunday in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League. It categorically rejects any attempt, it says, to tarnish the image of the club and its supporters, and says it will make every effort to defend the rights of the team and its fans.

In its statement, the leadership also challenged some refereeing decisions, which it said had raised many questions. In particular, it disputed the penalty awarded to the opposing team, saying it had been given “without any foul to justify it”.

The statement also addressed the second yellow card shown to Oussama Benhawa. The leadership maintained that Ayoub Ghezala had committed the foul in that incident and described the referee’s action as “intentional”, noting that Benhawa had already received a first yellow card. These are the club’s claims, not established findings about the refereeing.

Mouloudia also reported that its delegation faced a number of difficulties in the VIP stand at Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta. The team’s photographer, it said, was also forced to change his camera angle several times while the match was being broadcast on the club’s official YouTube channel.

The leadership further pointed to difficulties faced by supporters who travelled to Nigeria to buy tickets, which were priced at 20 dollars. “We have never seen this in any of the African stadiums where we have played CAF Champions League matches,” it said.

The response follows a complaint lodged by the Nigerian club with the Confederation of African Football. The complaint accuses Mouloudia supporters who attended the match of forcing their way through a stadium gate without permission or paying admission, damaging seats and committing other acts of vandalism. The Algerian club’s leadership rejects what it describes as an attempt to damage its image and has set out the incidents it says its delegation encountered around the match.