Benlamri: ‘Algeria should have protested like Senegal in Nigeria defeat

In the aftermath of the dramatic 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco, debates have spilled beyond the pitch.

Former Algerian international and 2019 AFCON champion Djamel Benlamri has voiced regret, drawing a controversial parallel between Senegal’s protest in the final and Algeria’s own elimination earlier in the tournament.

Benlamri reflected on the chaotic scenes in Rabat, where Senegal’s players briefly left the pitch in stoppage time to contest refereeing decisions. According to him, the act had an immediate impact.

‘After the Senegal players came out to contest the referee’s decisions, the referee was much more consistent in the rest of the match. This is exactly what you need to do in these kinds of situations, while remaining professional,’ he said.

For the former defender, such collective defiance helped rebalance the psychological dynamic with the referee.

Benlamri linked the incident to Algeria’s quarter-final defeat against Nigeria, a match marred by disputed calls from referee Issa Sy. Algerian supporters were particularly incensed by what they considered a clear penalty not awarded early in the game.

‘Algeria should have adopted the same attitude against Nigeria to mark the occasion. It was not necessarily a question of really leaving the field, but above all of expressing a strong protest,’ Benlamri observed.