National player sentenced for anti-Semitic post
The Algerian international Youcef Atal, who plays for the soccer club OGC Nice, has received an eight-month suspended prison sentence for an anti-Semitic post on social media. A court in Nice sentenced the 27-year-old for inciting religious hatred.
After spreading an anti-Jewish social media post, Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal from French first division club OGC Nice has been given an eight-month suspended prison sentence. The 27-year-old must also pay a fine of 45,000 euros for "incitement to hatred on religious grounds", as the criminal court in Nice ruled.
In October, shortly after the bloody attack on Israel by the radical Islamic organization Hamas, in which 1,200 people were killed on Israeli soil, Atal had shared a post on social media in connection with the conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for a "black day for the Jews". Atal has a good three million followers on Instagram.
Following a tip-off from the club, the defender removed the post and Nice suspended him from playing until further notice. A seven-match ban imposed by the French soccer association LFP has now expired.
Atal will probably lodge an appeal
Atal was provisionally arrested by the French police at the end of November, after an investigation had already been opened against him on 16 October for "glorifying terrorism" by Hamas.
At his court hearing in December, Atal again asked for an apology. He repeated that he had wanted to send "a message of peace" and that he had not watched the video to the end. According to the ruling, the professional must also pay for details of his conviction to be published in the regional daily newspaper "Nice-Matin" and the national newspaper "Le Monde".
According to Atal's lawyer Antoine Vey, the court's decision was "to be expected given the context and the strong political pressure", Vey told the AFP news agency. The lawyer announced that Atal would probably appeal against the verdict. Atal will be playing with the Algerian national team at the Africa Cup next week.
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Despite drawing criticism from both the French soccer community and the public, Algerian soccer star Youcef Atal continues to support his stance on the matter. In light of his anti-Semitic post and subsequent sentence, Atal's likelihood of representing France in future international soccer matches remains uncertain.
Source: www.ntv.de
