Algerian football federation operates outside legal framework

Tuesday, it has been revealed that the Algerian Football Federation is actively making decisions and issuing approvals without legal legitimacy due to its non-compliance with local regulations and laws.

The Algerian newspaper “Al-Khabar,” one of the largest printed newspapers in Algeria, affirms that several members of the federal bureau (executive) of the Algerian Football Federation are not adhering to Executive Decree No. 15-30.

This decree prohibits the duplication of executive, electoral, and administrative responsibilities within sports structures, organizations, and activities.

The same source disclosed that five members have not complied with the provisions of this decree.

Those members include Ahmed Kherchi, who temporarily holds the presidency of the Professional League, Lahcen Tamekto, president of the Algerian Cup competition committee, Rashid Al-Jakani, responsible for coordinating with football leagues, and the members Ali Malik and Imad Amisi.

The report further reveals that the decree provides the non-compliant members with a one-month grace period to comply by choosing one of the positions and thus avoiding the penalty of exclusion and removal from the post.

The report accuses the Ministry of Youth and Sports of inconsistency in implementing the decree and blames it for overlooking the current legal violations by the current football federation.

This is in contrast to the era of former presidents Sherif El-Amara and his successor Jihed Zafzaf, when “non-compliant” members were compelled to resign, leading to new elections on two occasions.

The newspaper hinted at the Algerian Football Federation’s failure to adapt its fundamental regulations to Executive Decrees No. 309-22 and No. 310-22, related to elected volunteer sports executives.

The federations were given a six-month period to comply with these decrees.

The report highlighted the presence of leagues in an “ambiguous” administrative situation in the absence of a properly functioning leadership, specifically mentioning the Professional League, the Amateur League, and the leagues of Annaba and Oran.