Rayan Aït-Nouri is expected to publicly address his departure from the Algeria national team camp after his reported clash with coach Brahim Hemdani.
The Manchester City left-back was excluded from the squad on Saturday following an altercation with Hemdani during Algeria’s 3-1 victory over Zambia in Tizi Ouzou.
Aït-Nouri, who has 33 international caps, is expected to issue a statement at the end of Algeria’s current international break, according to El Hayat TV.
His message is expected to come on October 6, after Algeria’s friendly against Niger in Tizi Ouzou, which will be the team’s final match of the international window.
The defender is reportedly expected to explain what happened before, during and after the incident and apologise to Algeria supporters, members of the national team staff and officials of the Algerian Football Federation (FAF).
The controversy began during the opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Zambia.
Aït-Nouri started the match on the substitutes’ bench, with Jaouen Hadjam selected ahead of him at left-back.
According to reports, Aït-Nouri was asked to warm up during the game before being told to wait following Zambia’s equaliser.
After Algeria regained the lead, the Manchester City defender was reportedly asked to resume his warm-up.
However, he is said to have refused to return to the warm-up area, with tensions subsequently rising between him and Hemdani.
A verbal exchange followed before several Algeria players and Greens general manager Moussa Saïb intervened in an attempt to calm the situation.
The incident was captured on live television, bringing further attention to the disagreement between the player and the coaching staff.
Aït-Nouri was subsequently sent home from the national team camp on Saturday.
According to FootAfrique, the former Wolverhampton player also refused to board the national team bus for the return journey to Algiers following the match.
Winwin reported that Aït-Nouri himself requested to leave the national team, despite efforts from the coaching staff to convince him to remain with the squad.
He was also reportedly unhappy with his treatment from his first day at the training camp and felt he had been marginalised.
Those accounts have yet to be followed by Aït-Nouri’s own public explanation, with the player now expected to give his version of events after Algeria’s match against Niger.
The statement would give the defender an opportunity to respond to the reports surrounding his departure and explain his actions during the Zambia game.
While the controversy surrounding Aït-Nouri continues, Algeria have already moved on with preparations for their next qualifying fixture.
The national team delegation arrived in Bujumbura on Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Burundi in the second round of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
