The president of the Algerian football federation, Mohamed Raouraoua, and the national coach of the Algerian team, Vahid Halilhodzic, refused to comment on their trip upon their arrival in Ouagadougou for the 2014 World Cup play-offs. The president of the FAF was reportedly displeased with the welcome given to the delegation.
According to the Algerian press, security measures were deliberately lax at the airport, allowing hundreds of Algerian supporters to storm the waiting room. Algerian journalists suggested that this was intended to psychologically destabilize the Fennecs, who were denied the opportunity to rest.
Mohamed Raouraoua, angered by the situation, refused to respond to journalists’ questions, stating, “What impressions are you talking about, not under these conditions.”
Algerian online press reported that the Algerian delegation underwent a special search at the entrance to their hotel. Players’ items were scanned, and the entire delegation had to wait in line to access the hotel. Algerian representatives also criticized the absence of an official from the Burkina Faso football federation at the airport.
