The FLN Team 1958-1962 - the 1st Algerian national team

Introduction

Imagine Algerian-born Zinedine Zidane - in his playing days - quitting the France national team just before a major international tournament, say France ’98? He then decides to leave the country in order to join another team from a rebel army at war with France.

It sounds far fetched.
But that is exactly what happened 52 years earlier when France were heading to Sweden to take part in the 1958 World Cup.
In 1958, as the French national team prepared for the FIFA World Cup in Sweden, Algeria was engaged in a bloody war of Independence with their French colonial masters.

Players became revolutionaries

several Algerians were playing professionally in France and a few were part of the French national team.

10 footballers, acting in the greatest secrecy, quit France, and went through Italy to reach the Tunisian capital Tunis.
Among them were Mustaphe Zitouni of Monaco, considered the best centre half in France, and Rachid Mekhloufi, the St Etienne striker.
Both were in a preliminary France squad of 40 players called up for the World Cup.
Instead, they made the strongest of stands for Algerian independence. In Tunis, where they finally reached in the most difficult of circumstances, they met with a senior official of the Algerian army fighting for independence, the Front for National Liberation or FLN, and the FLN national football team was born.
According to a FLN communique, the stars acted out of patriotism.
"At a time when France is fighting a war without mercy against their people and their fatherland, they refused to give to French sport their qualities, which are universally recognised," the communique read.

"As serious patriots, putting the Independence of their fatherland above everything, our footballers were determined to give a proof of courage, correctness and lack of self-interest to the Algerian youth."

FIFA punishment

The FLN decided to form a team, and asked for FIFA recognition.
The Algerians' first match was a suitably triumphant 5-1 win over Tunisia, which as a nation had already achieved its freedom and liberation from France.
However FIFA, considering Algeria to still be part of France, did not recognise the FLN team, and even banned Morocco’s Federation when the Atlas Lions played a game against the Algerians.
All the Algerian players were suspended by FIFA too, meaning they couldn’t return to their professional careers in France.
However many countries, in particular Communist ones from Eastern Europe, did play against the FLN side, which became a formidable publicity tool for the Algerian cause.

The results on the pitch were pretty impressive too
The side played 83 matches between May 1958 and December 1961, winning 57, drawing 14 and losing only 12, scoring an incredible 349 goals. 

Independence
In 1962, however, Algeria succeeded in winning its independence from France.
The FLN team, its work done, became the Algerian national team. Several of the stars of the side, like Mekhloufi, returned to France to play club football in their French league.
But there is no doubt their greatest moment came when they took the political and personal decision to play for their independence.


I have produced this short documentary for FIFA Futbol Mundial on the 50^th anniversary of the FLN team foundation, where I had the honour to meet two great men and former FLN players Rachid Mekhloufi in Paris and Mohamed Maouche in Algiers. I hope you enjoy it.

Algeria National Team Introduction

Should England be aware of the threat USA, Slovenia and Algeria hold for them?
Many English fans are already thinking about who they will meet in the quarter finals and semi finals, while they should concentrate on their group stage, because it is not going to be as easy as
it looks, even though in theory it shows I am wrong. While writing this article, April’s FIFA ranking shows that England are seventh, USA 16th, Algeria 27th and Slovenia 29th.
What England’s opponents have achieved lately
USA reached the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup final beating on their way the European champions Spain.
Slovenia reached the 2010 World Cup by beating Hiddink’s Russia.
Algeria voted Africa’s best team in 2009 after being short listed with strong nominees such as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon.


What’s Algeria’s World Cup pedigree?
Not great. The 2010 finals are Algeria’s first appearance since 1986. The only other finals they reached were in 1982. Both times they went out at the group stage, although 1982 brought a famous win over West Germany. That precipitated infamous allegations of match-fixing when, for their final group game, West Germany and Austria played out a tame 1-0 win for the Germans knowing that the scoreline would see them both progress at Algeria’s expense. Since this is their first finals for 24 years, there is wild enthusiasm in Algeria ahead of the kick-off in June by both players and fans.


How good is Algeria’s coach Rabah Saadane?

He’s in his fifth spell as manager of the national team; he was the coach of the 1986 team in Mexico, and was also part of the technical staff of the 1982 team in Spain. He may not have much of a reputation beyond North Africa and Middle East, but he’s very experienced and considered to be shrewd.

Algeria’s strengths and weaknesses:
Algeria’s probable starting line-up
against England. (4-2-3-1)

Keys players:
Ziani: the playmaker of the German champions Wolfsburg hasn’t been playing consistently for his club because of a combination of injuries and dip in form, but he is vital for Algeria. A rate of 7 out 10 goals scored for Algeria in their WC qualifying campaign assisted by him.
Belhadj’s energy and pace down the left flank could cause problems to any team. Excellent left footed crosses, though weak in defense. He’s been linked with Barcelona and AS Roma.
Bougherra: the Rangers central defender is a rock, his 6’3 height and strong built give him the edge over strikers. Voted Rangers’ and Algeria’s player of the year. Also linked to Barcelona.
Strengths vs Weacknesses
One of Algeria’s weaknesses is the luck of a real scoring power, almost half of the goals scored by defenders through set peaces during the qualifying campaign.
Algeria do not have Ivory Coast’s Drogba, nor Cameroon’s Eto’o, neither Ghana’s Essian, but if only Zinedine Zidane, Samir Nasri and Karim Benzema, Frenchmen with Algerian heritage, decided to play for Les Verts rather than Les Bleus. This is a squad lacking in star power, but their individual limitations is perfectly rebranded by collective strength especially on the grand stage: they will relish being the underdogs, as they were when they ousted Egypt via a bitter play-off in Sudan last November.


Is Algeria a better team than Egypt?

We all watched how England outplayed Egypt in Wembley last March (score finished 3-1), and since then, Capello made a comment that I disagree with, Capello said that Algeria were a better team than Egypt. It is true Algeria deservedly reached the World Cup after their play-off against Egypt, but Egypt have won the last three Africa Cup of Nations with more or less the same squad, and since 2005 their team and technical staff have been consistent and so have their results, unlike Algeria, Rabah Sadaane took over as Algeria’s head coach less than two years ago, he brought in talented players from Europe, but there is a long way to go for his team to gel and mature, however, on their day, Algeria can be brilliant and far more dangerous than Egypt and can be difficult to play against. As they tend to do so on big occasions, especially when they are underdogs (as mentioned above). Another example of that, was in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter finals against the tournament’s favourite Ivory Coast (poised to go far in the world cup) with their stars including Drogba, Kalou, Eboué,Yaya and Kolo Touré etc. Algeria out played Ivory Coast throughout the 120minutes and the score finished (3-2) to Algeria and in another day it could’ve been (6-2), left their stars wondering what had gone wrong.