2024-01-20 11:00:24
“They live in the prehistoric era.” These comments made by Sofia Benlemmane, an Algerian influence very popular on social networks for her support for Djamel Belmadi’s Fennecs, created controversy this week in Ivory Coast. A few hours after her arrival in the organizing country of the 2024 African Cup of Nations, the supporter published a video criticizing the Ivorian way of life.
“Algerians need to know how they live here,” she declares. We thank God for having a country like Algeria. Normally, Algeria should be located between Portugal and Spain. Because here, they live in poverty. It is an understatement to say that they live in the prehistoric era. If I could, I would send the Algerians to see how people live in Ivory Coast. »
Known for her provocations and accustomed to scandals, Sofia Benlemmane was expelled from the country this Thursday. “She was arrested in Bouaké on Wednesday and taken to Abidjan on Thursday where she was questioned before being expelled,” government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly told AFP. A measure recommended by the Algerian embassy in Abidjan after the uproar caused by this video.
Sentenced to suspended prison sentence in France
The influencer, who also has French nationality, has been around the Algerian national team for many years. Sentenced to a suspended prison sentence after invading the pitch at the Stade de France during the infamous October 2001 friendly match between the Blues and the Fennecs, Benlemmane made headlines again at the end of 2022, threatening to “knock her teeth out” by Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroon Football Federation, after the Indomitable Lions beat Algeria in a play-off match at the 2022 World Cup.
“Very happy to have returned to Algeria,” the supporter said in a new video posted after her expulsion that she had been “taken care of for 50 hours” by the Ivorian Territorial Security Directorate (DST). “For safety reasons, especially mine, we had to leave the territory. It grew, I didn’t understand, I just noticed what I saw,” she explained, specifying that her remarks were only intended for the Algerian people, to that the latter “considers himself happy with the benefits he enjoys in his country”.
Engaged in Group D, the Algerian selection got off to a bad start in its African Cup, conceding a draw (1-1) against Angola on Monday. The Greens challenge Burkina Faso this Saturday at 3 p.m. for their second group match.
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