The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) has dismissed claims suggesting Rayan Cherki, recently called up to the French national team, ever held serious talks about switching international allegiance to Algeria.
Cherki, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder for Olympique Lyonnais, has been at the centre of speculation following his selection for France’s senior squad.
The suggestion that the player may have previously considered representing Algeria—through family heritage—has sparked debate, particularly among fans and pundits in Algeria. However, those close to the player have firmly denied any such negotiations or intentions.
Sources from Cherki’s inner circle refuted allegations that he attempted to leverage a potential Algeria call-up as a bargaining chip to accelerate his selection by France.
“It’s a complete misreading of Rayan’s intentions to suggest he tried to pressure anyone,” one confidant told L’Équipe. “He has too much respect for both national setups and for the process itself.”
The same source emphasized that Cherki has never communicated with representatives of the Algerian Federation, including coaches or executives.
“He never exchanged a word with any coach or president of another federation,” they stated. “Even if he had been eligible, he doesn’t hold the nationality of any other country.”
This assertion was corroborated by several reports in the Algerian media. DZfoot, a prominent Algerian football outlet, cited informed sources confirming that no formal contact was ever initiated between the FAF and Cherki or his representatives.
The last known approach came in 2020 under former head coach Djamel Belmadi, at a time when Cherki had only recently made his professional debut.
Since then, it appears that the FAF has made no renewed efforts to recruit the Lyon star. According to DZfoot, the Federation’s current scouting department has not pursued further communication with the player since his early teenage years, despite prior public interest shown on social media when Cherki was just 14.
Although some informal interactions may have occurred through indirect channels, there is no indication of any official outreach. Notably, fitness coach Paolo Rongoni—who previously worked with Lyon and is now part of the Algerian staff—along with Vladimir Petkovic’s assistant, is said to have “taken the pulse” of the situation. However, these approaches were informal and never escalated to any administrative or contractual steps.
This lack of movement from the FAF has left some in Algeria questioning the strategic direction of their talent identification programme. Despite possessing heritage links to Algeria, Cherki has consistently represented France at various youth levels and now looks poised to continue along that path with the senior team.
The developments come as Algeria, like many national teams with a large diaspora, faces growing scrutiny over how it manages dual-nationality players. In this case, both sides appear to agree: no concrete engagement ever occurred.
Cherki’s allegiance to France now seems clear, and the narrative that he may have played the two countries against each other appears to be unfounded.
For Algeria, the episode serves as a reminder of the need for a more transparent and structured approach if it hopes to compete for top-tier talent in the global football landscape.
