Reports of a disagreement between Ramy Bensebaini and Algeria manager Brahim Hemdani have been dismissed as “a complete lie” by a source within the national team.
The rumour emerged on Wednesday and claimed the Borussia Dortmund defender had been involved in a confrontation with Hemdani, leading to his early departure from the squad less than a week before Algeria’s friendly against Niger in Tizi Ouzou on 6 October.
The story followed the reported clash between Hemdani and Rayan Ait-Nouri, who was sent home from the previous squad on Saturday. That had prompted speculation about the manager’s approach, but claims of a further disagreement involving Bensebaini were quickly rejected.
“There is no truth in it. It is a complete lie,” an internal source told La Gazette du Fennec, adding that the atmosphere within the group was “calm”.
The report was also contradicted by winwin, which said there had been no issue between Bensebaini and Hemdani and no act of rebellion by the player.
Bensebaini, 31, remains with the Algeria squad and is training normally ahead of the match against Niger. A photograph shared on Ibrahim Maza’s Instagram Story showed him in the gym alongside Anis Hadj Moussa and the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder.
The Borussia Dortmund player has made three appearances for his club this season and was appointed Algeria captain following Riyad Mahrez’s international retirement.
He played the full 90 minutes in both of Algeria’s recent 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches. The first was a 3-1 home victory over Zambia on 25 September, followed by a 2-2 draw with Burundi on Tuesday.
Algeria currently lead Group I, ahead of Zambia, Togo and Burundi.
