Algeria: Former FAF president Kheireddine Zetchi sentenced to eight years in prison

After almost two years in detention, former Federation Algerienne de Football president Kheireddine Zetchi has been sentenced to eight years in prison by the Sidi M’Hamed court in Algiers.

The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, one week after proceedings concluded at the economic and financial criminal division. Zetchi, a central figure in Algerian football for several years, received a substantial custodial sentence after a trial that had been postponed six times.

Charafeddine Amara, another former president of the Federation Algerienne de Football, was also given an eight-year prison term. Djahid Zefizef, who held the position at a different time, was sentenced to six years, while former federation administrative director Abdelghani Nekkache received three years.

The prosecution had sought 10 years in prison and a fine of five million dinars for several defendants, including the former heads of the federation.

The case concerned the Federation Algerienne de Football’s financial management between 2017 and 2023. The allegations included abuse of office, the squandering of public funds and the signing of contracts that breached regulations in order to provide unjustified benefits.

Zetchi had been held in provisional detention since November 2024. Throughout the hearings, his defence team urged the court to acquit him. His lawyers argued that the federation’s financial accounts had been approved by its general assembly and that, because it is an association, it was not strictly subject to the public procurement code.

They also presented evidence intended to demonstrate their client’s personal integrity. According to lawyer Me Feddag, Zetchi returned the annual $20,000 allowances he received from the Confederation of African Football to the federation, so the money could support women’s football and youth teams.

The defence further said Zetchi had personally paid for part of the renovation of the national team hotel at the Centre technique national de Sidi Moussa.

In his final statement to the court, Zetchi said: “Every night, I ask myself what my wrongdoing was.” He maintained that he had always acted with integrity.

Zetchi founded Paradou AC and its well-known academy before serving as president of the Federation Algerienne de Football from 2017 to 2021. His tenure included the appointment of Djamel Belmadi and Algeria’s triumph at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, 29 years after the country’s first continental title.

The sentence has had a major impact on Algerian football. Zetchi’s punishment is close to the sentence requested by prosecutors, but his legal battle may now continue through the appeals process.