Ramy Bensebaini denies Algeria camp rumours as Rayan Ait-Nouri statement awaited

Ramy Bensebaini has rejected claims that he wanted to leave Algeria’s training camp, while attention remains on the expected response from Rayan Ait-Nouri following his reported clash with manager Brahim Hemdani.

Bensebaini addressed the Algeria supporters on Sunday in an Instagram Story, denying reports that he had attempted to leave the squad between the team’s two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches and their friendly against Niger.

Algeria beat Zambia 3-1 and drew 2-2 with Burundi in their qualifiers on 25 and 29 September respectively, before defeating Niger 2-1 in a friendly on 6 October.

The 31-year-old defender, who has won 88 caps and scored eight goals for Algeria, also used his message to reaffirm his commitment to the country and the national team.

His intervention came after a series of denials had already challenged reports at the end of September that the former Rennes player had left the squad following an altercation with Hemdani.

The Federation algerienne de football (FAF) and Algeria’s players had previously sought to dispel the rumours without making a direct public statement.

Official images showed Bensebaini training with the squad before the match against Niger, known as the Mena. He also appeared in a photograph shared by Ibrahim Maza and later reposted by Bensebaini, with the pair pictured alongside their team-mates in the gym.

Bensebaini then featured in the Niger match, coming off the bench and scoring 10 minutes later. His involvement, however, did not prevent the rumours from continuing.

The defender’s statement came as Ait-Nouri’s own comments were being closely awaited after the incident with Hemdani led to his departure from the training camp.