Youcef Atal, a player for the Nice soccer club and the Algerian national team, recently stirred controversy by expressing support for Hamas on his Instagram account.
In a series of posts, he called on the Arab people to back Hamas and made inflammatory statements against Israel, even wrapping himself in the Palestinian flag after a national team game.
One of Atal's posts contained explicit incitement when he shared a speech by a Palestinian imam urging the Arab world to join Hamas and confront Israel. The post gained thousands of views before being removed, eliciting a range of reactions, including both messages of support and pro-Israel responses.
Will Youcef Atal face consequences for supporting Hamas?
However, Atal may face severe consequences for his actions. Nice fans have exerted pressure on the club's management, demanding disciplinary action, and some even call for his immediate release.
Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, joined the chorus of voices condemning Atal's actions, stating, "I expect Youcef Atal, if he allowed himself to be exploited, to apologize and denounce the Hamas terrorists. If this were not the case, he would no longer have his place in our club."
Estrosi also called upon the French league to follow the government's approach in dealing with pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested in recent days and take appropriate measures against Attal. He emphasized the need for the league and its association to respond firmly to such displays of violence that contradict the state's values.
At 27 years old, Atal has been a key player for Nice since 2018, and his talent has garnered attention from senior clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the past. Despite the transfer rumors, he chose to remain at Nice last summer.
Notably, Atal played a significant role in Nice's matches against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers last year, even starting in the game held at Bloomfield in Israel.