Zidane, World Cup champs to play exhibition match in Algiers

2010-01-03

Members of the winning 1998 French national team will accompany star Zinedine Zidane to Algiers in March for a futsal match in honour of Algeria's qualification to the 2010 World Cup finals.

By Mouna Sadek for Magharebia in Algiers – 03/01/10

[Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images] Former France midfielder Zinedine Zidane will bring his World Cup-winning teammates to Algiers for a promotional match in March.

Retired footballer Zinedine Zidane and other members of the 1998 World Cup champion French national team will visit Algiers on March 1st to take part in a commemorative football tournament.

During a December 26th visit with the Algerian team during their preparations for the 2010 African Nations Cup, the international star hailed their performance in the World Cup qualifiers and demonstrated his affection for his ancestral home.

Zizou has given steadfast support to the Greens. During his surprise visit to their training camp in southern France, the 1998 European Footballer of the Year confirmed he will travel to Algeria for a futsal match on March 1st in Algiers "to celebrate Algeria's victory in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers".

The former French captain will play in Algiers to honour a promise he made to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika during his first visit in 2006, when he vowed to return to Algeria with the French side that won the 1998 World Cup.

The event will be co-ordinated jointly by Kamal Benkoussa, a financier of Algerian origin who works at the London Stock Exchange, and former Algerian player Ali Fergani, who is now president of the Amicale des Anciens Joueurs (Association of Former Players).

"Zidane's visit to Algeria and the participation of the 1998 World Cup winners in this tournament show that the strength of the Algerian team, which did brilliantly in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, has been recognised," Benkoussa said.

The event will be played between all of the French players who won the 1998 World Cup and two previous Algerian generations of players who took part in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups and outstanding players of the 1990s. The games will last 40 minutes each.

The 75,000 seats in the Stade du 5 Juillet will be offered to spectators free of charge and the tournament will be financed with support from sponsors. The organisers have said that mobile operator Nedjma and the Cevital group, which belongs to Algerian billionaire Issaad Rabrab, have already expressed interest in getting involved.

Since the Stade du 5 Juillet could be unable to hold all of the football fans who would like to attend, the matches will also be broadcast live by public network ENTV, which was granted broadcasting rights free of charge by the organisers.

"We want this tournament to be a big party for Algerians," said Thierry Benaim, chief executive of Expert Sport 1998 and organiser of the event.

Algerians appear to be waiting eagerly for their hero to arrive in Algeria. "This will be the first time that Zidane will play in his country," said Mourad, a bank worker. "If renowned players come to Algeria, it can only be a good thing for everyone who is passionate about football. We will then be able to build up a good image of our country."

"As well as lending his support to our team, Zidane is giving our country good publicity through this gesture," he added.