Sami Tlemcani says Algeria talks continued throughout his Morocco career

Sami Tlemcani has confirmed that he always remained in contact with the Algerian Football Federation before switching his international allegiance from Morocco to Algeria.

The 22-year-old goalkeeper has joined Algerian second-tier club MO Bejaia as a free agent after spending a year without a club. He has now chosen to represent Algeria, the country of his father’s origin, having previously played for Morocco at youth and senior level.

Speaking to El Heddaf TV, Tlemcani said representing Algeria had long been his ambition. His father was born in Saint-Maurice to a Moroccan mother, giving the goalkeeper eligibility to play for both North African nations as well as France.

Tlemcani began his international career with France Under-16s before moving on to Morocco Under-17s. His performances led to a senior call-up for Morocco under Vahid Halilhodzic, although he did not play in the only match for which he was selected.

That appearance came in Morocco’s 4-1 victory over Guinea on 12 October 2021. Tlemcani remained an unused substitute and was not called up again after being considered too inexperienced at that stage of his career.

A year later, he returned to the international scene with Morocco’s Under-20 side. Mohamed Ouahbi selected him in September 2022, and he was on the bench for the match against Australia before playing the full 90 minutes against England. Morocco lost that game 2-1.

Despite having represented Morocco, Tlemcani said discussions with the Algerian federation had never stopped.

His opportunity to play for Algeria first came in 2023, when the 1.95m goalkeeper was called up for the Africa Cup of Nations Under-23 qualifiers. However, he had to withdraw because FIFA had not yet granted the necessary clearance.

Tlemcani is now eligible to play for Algeria and has set his sights on the senior national team. He hopes to wear the shirt of the Fennecs A after completing the process that allows him to change his international representation.

His move to MO Bejaia gives him the chance to restart his club career after a year without a team. The Algerian side compete in the country’s second division, where Tlemcani will look to regain regular playing time and build towards his ambition of joining Algeria’s senior squad.

The goalkeeper’s international background has made his decision a subject of debate, but he insists his preference for Algeria was not a recent development. According to Tlemcani, his links with the Algerian federation existed even while he was representing Morocco.