French court upholds sentence against Algerian footballer for incitement

The French Court of Appeals upheld the initial verdict against Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal on Wednesday in connection with his support for Palestine.

He was accused of inciting religious hatred after reposting the video.

Atal was hit with an eight-month suspended prison sentence and a 51,000 US dollar fine after he shared a video online supporting Palestinians.

Atal posted a video on his Instagram account in October 2023 of a Palestinian preacher reciting a prayer against Jews while he was still a player for OGC Nice.

Atal has since left the country and following a brief stint in Turkey with Adana Demirspor he joined Al Sadd in Qatar.