Africa 24 Media Photography

Known as Les Fennecs (The Desert Foxes) or Moharibou Essahra (Desert Warriors), Algeria is one of the top football nations in Northern Africa. The Desert Warriors also boast of having a highly competitive domestic league with an equally strong local fan base, spearheaded by supporters for local giants and former CAF Champions League winners, JS Kabylie, ES Sétif and MC Algiers.

Such is the enthusiasm in the Algerian football league that it has often led to confrontations, injuries and damage to sports facilities especially at season's end, despite awareness campaigns launched by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. However, violence is not the only problem the Algerian Football Association has to contend with. The Algerian league, just like many other domestic leagues in the African continent, continue to face the predicament of losing fan’s support to European based teams. Along the bustling streets or within the confines of rapturous football fields, one would witness aficionados donned in football replica shirts and kits of mostly European soccer powerhouses such as English Premier League sides Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, Italian Serie A giants AC Milan and Spanish La Liga clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. While some opt to support such teams due to presence of Algerian nationals; Scotland’s Rangers has defender Madjid Bougherra and Hearts has central defender Ismaël Bouzid among others, minimal interest in local football, relatively affordable replica shirts and desire for diversity also play a part in making that choice.

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