Saturday 12 June 2010

Will internal dissent destroy Algeria's chances

Algeria's quest to sabotage England's World Cup dream is being wrecked by an astonishing dressing-room row which almost saw their captain walk out.

The north Africans, who play Fabio Capello's men in Durban on Thursday, are in disarray on the eve of their Group C opener against Slovenia.

The upheaval started last Wednesday when captain Yazid Mansouri was told by coach Rabah Saadane that he would not be in the team to play Slovenia - and he furiously threatened to quit the team.

Benched: Captain Yazid Mansouri says he will fight to win back his place in
the Algeria side after a fallout with coach Rabah Saadane

The 32-year-old midfielder stormed off to his hotel room and was packing his bags before desperate team officials managed to persuade him to rethink his decision after an hour of heated chat.





'It's hard to accept the decision,' said Mansouri. 'I've been in this side for 10 years and that is why I'm struggling to digest the news.' Saadane's decision was also greeted with dismay by Mansouri's team-mates. Portsmouth defender Nadir Belhadj said: 'It will be difficult for us without Yazid because we listen to him all the time.'



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