Benrahma absence sparks Belmadi bust-up speculation

The eyebrow-raising omission of West Ham United winger Said Benrahma from Algeria’s Africa Cup of Nations squad has prompted speculation that coach Djamel Belmadi harbours lingering resentment from their notorious touchline bust-up last October.

Belmadi faced accusations of personal bias following his terse response when quizzed over Benrahma’s absence from the Desert Foxes party heading to Ivory Coast. “Why Youcef Belaili and not Said Benrahma? Well because that’s my opinion, it’s my choice,” snapped the AFCON winning coach.

With Belaili similarly left out in the cold until recently, many observers highlighted Belmadi’s failure to cite footballing reasons for his verdict on Benrahma. This evasiveness has drawn suspicion back to he and Benrahma’s infamous flare-up last year.

The originating flashpoint occurred as Benrahma was substituted during a friendly with Egypt in October 2022. Visibly disgruntled at Belmadi’s decision, video cameras caught the West Ham winger refuse to acknowledge his manager before stalking past him towards the bench.

An incensed Belmadi reacted by grabbing Benrahma aggressively by his jacket lapel, sparking a touchline melee between both coaching setups. The ugly scenes went viral globally, leading to public criticism over Belmadi’s conduct.

While the manager and player appeared to immediately reconcile and Benrahma tweeted afterward he had “maximum respect” for Belmadi, rumours of discontent have never fully subsided.

Now, by framing Benrahma’s latest exclusion as “my choice” without addressing the obvious elephant in the room, Belmadi risks perception his personal prickliness from last year’s flare-up still lingers with AFCON places suddenly up for grabs.

With Algeria amongst the pre-tournament favourites, their preparations for a victorious defence risk being distracted amidst a fresh wave of speculation over Belmadi’s objectivity. Unless he addresses the Benrahma issue directly, last year’s distorted optics may remain an unwelcome sideshow.