Ahmad 
French extremist politician Pierre Vardan sparked outrage after sarcastically commenting on Algerian national team player Youssef Attal after he was convicted by the French judiciary for his solidarity with Palestine.
Vardan, who belongs to the Reconquista Party led by extremist Eric Zemmour, wrote after Attal was sentencing: “The player close to Islamists, Youssef Attal, has finally been convicted. I was one of the first to notice his posts three years ago.”
The extremist politician added: “He will not play in Nice again or in our country. One to three. A good return to Algeria,” he said, borrowing the phrase Algerians use to greet their country: “One to Three… Viva L’Algerie”, which commentators considered an offensive expression.
The politician-elect of the Nice municipal council is known for his racist comments against immigrants, especially Algerians, as is the stated policy of his extremist leader, Eric Zemmour, who is of Jewish origin, whose family lived in Algeria during the French colonial period.
The French court of Nice last week convicted Algerian player Youssef Attal, for sharing a video of Palestinian preacher Mahmoud Hasanat calling on Israel after the Al-Aqsa flood.
Youssef Attal has 10 days to appeal the verdict for a retrial in the second instance.
During the December 18 trial, the prosecution sought a 10-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros, with the court’s decision posted on the player’s Instagram page for a month.
Since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, Attal has faced a major political and media campaign in France, because of the aforementioned video. The player was then forced to publish a clarification in which he asserted that he “rejects the use of all forms of violence”. He stated that he was “aware that his post shocked a lot of people, which was not my intention and I apologize for that,” he said.
He stressed in the statement that he “wants to clarify his position without any ambiguity,” noting that he “strongly condemns all forms of violence, wherever they are in the world, and supports all victims.” He stressed that he will never support any message of hatred, stressing that peace is a supreme value in which he strongly believes.
The pressure on the player reached the point where Nice Mayor Christian Estroszi, an influential political figure and former industry minister, tweeted threatening Attal with kicking him out of Nice. Major sports newspapers in France, including L’Equipe, also cracked down on the player and demanded that he be punished.