Algerian Football Federation officials refute Cherki's denial of contact
- Omna Taddele
- Jun 4
- 1 min read
France national team newcomer Rayan Cherki claimed he has never been contacted by the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) to represent the North African nation. The Olympique Lyonnais star is on the verge of joining English giants Manchester City, and his comments have been refuted by some FAF officials.
Cherki received his first-ever call to the senior France squad as Algeria missed out on a great talent. In an interview with L'Équipe, the 21-year-old winger stated that he has never spoken with any federation president about representing a national team:
“To be frank and sincere, I've never had any official contact with either team (Algeria and Italy). Before I started my career in 2019, my father met Djamel Belmadi through a mutual friend during one of his visits to Lyon. But since then, the only people who have talked to me about it are two or three players I know personally, and a few weeks ago, Paolo Rongoni, whom I worked with at Lyon. But I've never spoken to a coach or president of another federation—none of them have even tried to contact me."
His comments were not taken lightly by some factions within the FAF. According to La Gazette du Fennec, an unnamed FAF official claimed that federation president Walid Sadi had established contact with Cherki’s father. The FAF also reportedly tried to mobilize Algerian internationals Saïd Benrahma, Amine Gouiri, and Aïssa Mandi to convince the young prodigy to switch allegiance.
Cherki has previously played for France at youth and Olympic levels.
