Algerian football leaders in freefall in Round 12

16/11/2008

The league leaders in Algeria's top football tournament may be stumbling. JSM Bejaia finished the week with a tie against AS Khroub and a loss to USM Annaba, leaving many wondering what will come next week.

By Lyes Aflou for Magharebia in Algiers – 16/11/08

[Getty Images] Fans of USM Blida and MC Algiers will have to stay home for their teams' next matches, following league punishments for hooliganism.

As Round 12 of the Algerian Division 1 football championship played out over two days on Thursday (November 13th) and Friday, leaders JSM Bejaia stalled once again, losing 1-0 to USM Annaba. Their Thursday defeat followed a home draw against AS Khroub the day before.

JSMB's first loss of the season was against ASO Chlef. These disappointing performances have cumulatively caused something of a setback, with the three teams chasing them - ES Setif, USM Algiers and NA Hussein Dey – all getting closer to the top.

Another team that failed to satisfy was JS Kabylie, who were held to a 1-1 draw by USM El Harrach from east Algiers. The result disappointed their fans, who had hoped for a replay of the 2-0 away win in Round 11 against USM Blida. The Kabyles took a first-half lead, only for El Harrach to equalise with a second-half penalty conversion from Hamza Guessoum.

ES Setif, however, notched up a 1-0 home win against MC Algiers, thanks to a goal from Malik Ziaya. If the Sétifiens can keep up this level of play, they will knock JSMB off the top spot in the table. For MCA, it was the second straight loss in four days.

In an Algiers derby, USM Algiers returned to their winning ways, gaining the upper hand over NA Hussein Dey 3-0 on Friday night. They scored twice in the first half and again in the dying minutes of the match. At one point, play had to be suspended when missiles were thrown onto the pitch. Despite pulling out all the stops after the match resumed, NAHD were unable to make up for the damage that had been done.

Also in Algiers, CR Bélouizdad achieved a win by the same score over MC El Eulma. Their three goals came in the second half of the match before an unusually sparse crowd.

CA Bordj Bou Arreridj came through with a narrow 1-0 victory over AS Khroub. MSP Batna were likewise successful with a 2-1 win over ASO Chlef.

USM Blida put in a poor showing against MC Saida. The closed-door match ended in a goalless draw.

To reprimand USMB for their fans' behaviour during a Round 11 match, the disciplinary committee of the National Football League ordered USMB to play two matches behind closed doors. During the final minutes of Blida's match against JS Kabylie played last Monday at the Stade Mustapha-Tchaker, fans pulled seats off the terraces and threw them onto the pitch in disgust at their team's defeat.

The damage was so extensive that the ground had to be closed for repair work that will likely take several weeks to complete. USM Blida will also have to pay a fine of 40,000 dinars as a penalty. The severe response from football officials aims to prevent incidents of this kind, which are becoming increasingly common at Algerian football games.

USMB is just one of several clubs penalised by the league for fan hooliganism. A similar fate befell MC Algiers, who were ordered to play one match behind closed doors and pay a fine of 20,000 dinars after incidents during a match against MSP Batna (1-2) on Monday at the Stade Omar-Hammadi. The November 17th match between MC Algiers and RC Kouba will therefore be off-limits to the public.

Newly-promoted MC El Eulma will also be required to play Batna without an audience, have one match postponed and pay a 40,000-dinar fine for missile-throwing during a match against USM Annaba (1-0) on November 7th.