After the elimination of Algeria in the group stage of CAN 2024 on Tuesday, Riyad Mahrez broke his silence.
This is another huge disillusionment for Algeria. After bankruptcy during CAN 2021, non-qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Fennecs were eliminated in the group stage of CAN 2024, unable to win a single match. A new fiasco which precipitated the departure of Djamel Belmadi. Selection executives could also slam the door, like Riyad Mahrez? For The Gazette du Fennecthe former Manchester City winger suggested that he had not yet decided.
“We are the ones responsible, me first, and I blame everyone else, he first recalled. We have not been up to par over the last 2-3 years and we are paying for it. We are disappointed and very sad for the Algerian supporters and our families, because it is for the people that we play. We are very touched and we hope that things will bounce back with a new coach. I don’t know what my goal will be, my head is upside down. It’s not easy to come out of such a failure. »
“We had good players and a great coach”
And the Algerian football star added: “We weren’t good, we weren’t up to par. We won so much for a long time, but in football you win and you lose, but you lose more than you win. The problem ? I don’t know. We had good players and a great coach. I think the team within 3-4 players are the best players in Algeria. »
Like his now ex-coach Djamel Belmadi, Mahrez made a tackle towards the media. “Many journalists are against us, they do not put positive pressurehe estimated. But hey, that’s not the excuse. But I find it unfortunate that there is such media pressure around us. It’s not like we’ve won 10 African Cups and we’re always the favorites. »
