"I don't do politics, I'm just a football player": eight months of suspended prison required on appeal against Youcef Atal

On October 12, 2023, Youcef Atal shared the video of a Palestinian preacher calling for "a black day on the Jews".

In October 2023, the Algerian international had shared on Instagram a 35-second video by Palestinian preacher Mahmoud Al Hasanat evoking the fate of Gaza's children under bombs, and then calling for "a black day on the Jews".

ALGIERS - Al-Quds Al-Arabi: Algerian international footballer Youssef Atal's solidarity post with the Palestinian cause following the events of October 7th continues to haunt him in France, where he is already facing prison time pending a verdict at the end of April. In the appeal hearing, the French public prosecutor requested that the sentence issued against Atal during his first trial, which […]

This Wednesday, April 2, 2025 in France, the international Algerian footballer Youcef Atal received an 8-month suspended prison sentence for having republished a video that incites hatred.

Suspended for incitement to hatred on the grounds of religion for resting the video of a Palestinian preacher on Gaza on 12 October 2023 and sentenced in first instance to eight months' suspended imprisonment, former Niçois Youcef Atal saw the same penalty be demanded on Wednesday in his appeal trial in Aix-en-Provence. The decision was deliberated on 30 April.

This time, Youcef Atal was able to come. The former defender of the Nice OGC nevertheless had a match with Al-Sadd on Saturday in Qatar. His new club did not intend to release him. It is for this reason that his appeal trial had been dismissed on 5 March. "I wanted to be there to defend myself, assured the footballer