Algerian winger Youssef Belaili’s return from the Club World Cup took an unexpected turn when he was arrested by French police at Charles de Gaulle Airport on Wednesday morning.
The 33-year-old, who had just represented Esperance Sportive de Tunis, was taken into custody following a reported altercation with Air France crew on a flight from New York to Paris.
According to an airport source, Belaili allegedly assaulted flight staff mid-air. Upon landing in Paris, where he was expected to catch a connecting flight to Algeria, police led him away in handcuffs, as seen in videos circulating on social media.
Belaili’s father later defended his son in press interviews, explaining the incident stemmed from a disagreement with cabin crew over his two-year-old child. “He was subjected to poor treatment by the flight crew,” his father said. “What happened is unacceptable, because he is an international player and did not commit any crime.”
So far, neither Esperance nor the Algerian national team has made a public statement regarding the arrest.
