News Focus
- Ali Abdi travelled to Tunisia one day before the second leg of the relegation play-off against AS Saint-Étienne
- The play-off dates were moved to accommodate the Coupe de France final, falling outside FIFA’s official international window
- Nice confirmed failed negotiations with the Tunisian Football Federation to retain the defender
- The club defended Abdi against social media abuse, citing urgent World Cup bureaucratic procedures
OGC Nice have publicly backed defender Ali Abdi following his decision to link up with the Tunisia national team ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup. The move means the full-back will miss Friday night’s decisive second leg of the Ligue 1 relegation play-off against AS Saint-Étienne.
The fixture scheduling created significant conflict for the French side. The league moved the two-legged tie to allow Nice to compete in the Coupe de France final against RC Lens. However, this shift placed the matches outside the official FIFA international calendar.
When fixtures fall outside designated FIFA dates, clubs face no obligation to release players for national duty. Nice held urgent discussions with several national associations to retain their stars for the vital relegation battle. Tunisia manager Sabri Lamouchi confirmed that the club attempted to keep Abdi for both legs of the play-off.
Despite these negotiations, Abdi departed for Tunisia one day before Friday’s home leg. Photographs showed him training with his international teammates while his club prepared to face Saint-Étienne without him.
The defender faced heavy criticism online for choosing country over club during such a critical period. However, Nice issued an official statement on Thursday defending their player.
The club confirmed that Abdi played in Tuesday’s first leg in Saint-Étienne. They explained that he needed to complete urgent paperwork and bureaucratic processes required for his World Cup participation.
“Choosing between representing his club colours and answering a World Cup call-up presented a very difficult personal and professional challenge,” the statement read.
Nice also condemned the abuse directed at Abdi on social media platforms. “Given the wave of insults our player has received online, we urge everyone to remain respectful and measured. Both Ali and the club are victims of this unfortunate situation,” the communiqué added.
The case highlights the ongoing tension between club commitments and international fixtures when scheduling conflicts arise outside official windows.