"Man City" is the reason behind Rayan Aït-Nouri's issues with the national team!

Press reports have revealed that the father of Manchester City's Algerian star, Rayan Aït-Nouri, disclosed that the real reason for the defender's withdrawal from the national team stems from circumstances related to his situation at Manchester City.

Rayan Aït-Nouri left the Algerian national team camp on September 29 following a personal dispute with coach Brahim Hemdani; the conflict reached its peak after the 3–1 victory over Zambia.

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The irritation was plain for all to see as he sat on the bench, and it eventually spilled over into a back-and-forth with members of the coaching staff. By the next day, the Algerian Football Federation had made it official: he was being sent back to Manchester City.

Rayan Aya Nouri's father reveals further details

Rafik Ouahid of El Khabar has come forward with an account provided by Farouk Ait-Nouri, describing an exchange that stretches back to August 22 and involved Algeria's assistant coach, Anthar Yahia.

Yahia, a former Algeria captain who went on to serve on Hemdani's staff, is said to have first tried to reach Ait-Nouri personally to talk over the defender's situation at Manchester City.

When no reply came from the player, Yahia is alleged to have turned to his father instead.

As the story goes, Farouk was informed that Ait-Nouri's lack of minutes at City might cost him his spot in Algeria's September squad.

That timing apparently did not sit well with the player's father, given that Algeria had still not appointed a permanent head coach at that point and Ait-Nouri was only just starting his domestic campaign.

Farouk has since verified that he did speak with Ouahid, though he has also tried to dial down the broader storm.

He made clear that he had no wish for the matter to be blown out of proportion, underlining his family's deep ties to Algeria, while standing by his view that his son was "unfairly treated."

What matters here is that Ait-Nouri himself had no part in the conversation between Yahia and his father.

So while the account does not prove that the August exchange directly triggered what later unfolded against Zambia, it does point to relations already being tense well before the public row in September.

Hazem Mlhem |

Editorar, en

Hazem Mlhem est un rédacteur sportif expérimenté, animé par une passion pour le football africain.

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Algeria