Hommam Al Nassim 
The French newspaper “L’Equipe” said that the captain of the Algerian national team, Riyad Mahrez, told his country’s football federation that he does not want to participate in the team’s next two friendly matches.
Algeria will face Bolivia on March 22nd and South Africa on March 26th in friendlies.
Mahrez is expected to be excluded from the squad to be chosen by new coach Vladimir Petkovic.
L’Equipe linked Mahrez’s decision to criticism he received during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, with the player seemingly thinking about his international future after receiving criticism following an unexpected performance in the tournament.
A similar situation was observed for Mahrez in June 2022 after the World Cup qualifier elimination to Cameroon.
Former Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi defended Mahrez during the Africa Cup of Nations, where he stressed his abilities and important role in the team despite the challenges he faced.
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