Soccer Player Youcef Atal Receives Suspended Sentence for Controversial Social Media Post

The Algerian international, who plays for OGC Nice, was fined and suspended for reposting a video related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Algerian international soccer player Youcef Atal has been given an eight-month suspended prison sentence and a €45,000 ($49,000) fine by a French court for a social media repost about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Atal, who plays for French club OGC Nice, reposted a video by a Palestinian preacher who called on God to send 'a black day over the Jews' the day after the Hamas October 7 attack.
Atal subsequently deleted the post and apologized, stating that he did not intend to shock people and that he does not support messages of hate.
OGC Nice suspended Atal for the social media repost and he has not been involved in any games since a win over Metz on October 7.
Despite the controversy, Atal has been named in Algeria’s squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.