US Monastir Lodges Complaint Over Use of Baghdad Bounedjah in Goal
Union Sportive Monastirienne (US Monastir) has filed a formal complaint following their defeat to Étoile Sportive du Sahel (ESS) on Matchday 7 of the Tunisian Pro 1 League. The controversy centers on Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah, who unusually took over goalkeeping duties during the match, replacing Aymen Mathlouthi.
❗ The Core of the Complaint:
Monastir accuses ESS of violating league rules, which prohibit Tunisian clubs from fielding foreign goalkeepers. They argue that Bounedjah, a foreign player, acted as a goalkeeper and therefore breached this regulation.
⚠️ The Counterpoint:
ESS maintains that Bounedjah was listed on the official match sheet as an outfield player, and that he only assumed the goalkeeper role temporarily and under exceptional circumstances (presumably due to injury or expulsion of the regular keeper). This might classify his appearance in goal as incidental rather than strategic, a key factor that could impact the ruling.
📌 What’s Next?
The Tunisian Football Federation will have to determine whether this incident constitutes a technical violation of the foreign goalkeeper rule, or if the context and match sheet designation of Bounedjah as an outfield player shield ESS from sanction.
A decision on the complaint is expected in the coming days and could have implications for both the match result and future enforcement of squad regulations.
