Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Youcef Atal[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 17 May 1996 | ||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Boghni, Algeria | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Right-back | ||||||||||||||||
Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Nice | ||||||||||||||||
Number | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
2006–2008 | CR Belouizdad | ||||||||||||||||
2008–2011 | JS Kabylie | ||||||||||||||||
2011–2012 | USM Alger | ||||||||||||||||
2012–2014 | JS Kabylie | ||||||||||||||||
2014–2015 | Paradou AC | ||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
2015–2018 | Paradou AC | 46 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
2017–2018 | → Kortrijk (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
2018– | Nice | 117 | (12) | ||||||||||||||
International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
2017– | Algeria | 35 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 October 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 January 2024 (UTC) |
Youcef Atal (Arabic: يوسف عطال; born 17 May 1996) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Ligue 1 club Nice and the Algeria national team.
Club career
Atal joined French club Nice from Paradou AC in 2018. He underwent knee surgery in December 2019.[3]
International career
On 1 June 2017, Atal was called up to the Algeria national team for the first time for a friendly match against Guinea and a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo.[4]
In December 2023, he was named in Algeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[5]
Controversy
On 14 October 2023, amidst the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Atal posted a video on social media of Palestinian preacher Mahmoud al-Hasanat asking God to "send Jewish people a dark day". He quickly removed the video after receiving criticism, notably from Nice mayor Christian Estrosi, who stated that unless Atal "denounces Hamas terrorists, he no longer has a place at [OGC Nice]".[6] Atal subsequently published a message on Instagram apologizing for posting the video, and clarified his beliefs by stating that he "denounce[s] all forms of violence".[6] On 16 October, the Nice public prosecutor's office initiated a preliminary investigation into Atal on charges of "defending terrorism".[7] Two days later, OGC Nice suspended Atal until further notice after the anti-semitic post.[8] On 25 October, he was suspended for seven matches by the Ligue de Football Professionnel for posting an anti-semitic message.[9]
On the 24 November, Atal was detained by French Police over the anti-semitic posts.[10] In January 2024, Atal was convicted of inciting religious hatred and given an eight-month suspended sentence.[11]
Career statistics
International
- As of match played 19 November 2022[12]
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Algeria | 2017 | 4 | 0 |
2018 | 2 | 1 | |
2019 | 12 | 0 | |
2021 | 4 | 0 | |
2022 | 7 | 1 | |
Total | 29 | 2 |
- Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first.[12]
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 18 November 2018 | Stade Municipal, Lomé, Togo | 6 | Togo | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [13] |
2 | 27 September 2022 | Olympic Stadium, Oran, Algeria | 28 | Nigeria | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | [14] |
Honours
Paradou AC
Nice
- Coupe de France runner-up: 2021–22[15]
Algeria
References
- ↑ "Algeria" (PDF). Confederation of African Football. 15 June 2019. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ↑ "Youcef Atal". OGC Nice. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ↑ "Youcef Atal: Algeria international to have knee surgery". BBC Sport. 8 December 2019.
- ↑ M-A-D (1 June 2017). "EN : 25 joueurs convoqués par Alcaraz, beaucoup de nouveautés". DZfoot (in French). Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ↑ "CAN 2024 : L'Algérie Dévoile sa Liste Officielle – Qui Sont les Fennecs Prêts à Conquérir l'Afrique ?" (in French). Algérie-Focus. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- 1 2 "OGC Nice's Youcef Atal apologises for anti-semitic social media post - Get French Football News". 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ↑ "Youcef Atal: Nice and Algeria defender investigated for alleged antisemitic social media post". BBC Sport. 16 October 2023.
- ↑ "Youcef Atal: Nice suspend Algeria defender for alleged antisemitic social media post". BBC Sport. 18 October 2023.
- ↑ "French league suspends Atal for 7 games for sharing an antisemitic message on social media". AP News. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ↑ "French Police detain Youcef Atal for posting social media post on Israel-Hamas war". wionews.com. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ↑ "Youcef Atal: Nice's Algeria defender given eight-month suspended sentence for inciting religious hatred". BBC Sport. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- 1 2 "Youcef Atal". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ↑ "Afcon 2019: Mahrez brace helps Algeria qualify for Nations Cup". BBC Sport. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ↑ "Algeria vs. Nigeria - Football Match Summary". ESPN. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ↑ "Ludovic Blas penalty wins French Cup for Nantes". BBC Sport. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ↑ Rose, Gary (19 July 2019). "Senegal 0–1 Algeria". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
External links
- Youcef Atal at DZFoot.com (in French)
- Youcef Atal at Soccerway