CAF Disciplinary Board v. Algerian Football Federation (Algeria – Nigeria, AFCON 2025)

Following the AFCON 2025 group match between Algeria and Nigeria on 10 January 2026, the CAF Disciplinary Board convened to address several distinct incidents: player misconduct toward the match referee, an excessive number of cautions issued to the Algerian team, and multiple instances of supporter misconduct including the use of smoke devices, thrown objects, and attempts to force security barriers.

Algeria players Luca Zidane and Rafik Belghali received two-match and four-match suspensions respectively (two of Belghali's matches suspended on a one-year probationary period). The Algerian Football Federation was fined across five separate heads: USD 5,000 for the senior team having received five cautions during the match, USD 25,000 for the inappropriate post-match conduct of its players and officials, USD 5,000 for its supporters' use of smoke devices, USD 5,000 for its supporters throwing objects, and USD 10,000 for failing to comply with security measures — a combined total of USD 50,000 across the five heads.

The decision is a useful illustration of how CAF disaggregates a single match's fallout into multiple, separately reasoned disciplinary heads (player conduct, federation responsibility for cautions, and federation responsibility for supporters), each carrying its own sanction and legal basis under the CAF Disciplinary Code.