MC Alger will host MC Oran today at the Ali Ammar stadium, known as Ali La Pointe of Douera, behind closed doors (8:00 PM), with distinct objectives for both teams during this rescheduled match of the Ligue 1 Mobilis football championship’s opening round. Building on its momentum, the Dean (6th, 13 pts) hopes to secure a third consecutive championship victory and prevail over the Oran side to climb onto the podium, reinforcing its ambition to retain the title. For its part, MCO (3rd, 15 pts), halted at home by Olympique Akbou (0-0) during the previous round (the 8th), will attempt to return from Douera with a positive result to consolidate its standing among the top three. The Oran team hopes to capitalize on the absence of spectators following the decision of the Professional Football League (LFP) disciplinary committee to impose a two-match stadium ban on the Algiers club. This match thus carries high stakes for both sides, as MCA seeks to enter the podium while MCO aims to prevent getting ousted from the Top 3. Regarding squad availability, MCA will be sidelined without its captain Ayoub Abdellaoui, alongside injured midfielders Zakaria Naidji and Zinedine Ferhat. Conversely, the Oran club is expected to feature a full roster.
The club requests an investigation to identify the individual behind the thrown object
The MCA management announced on Monday that it submitted an official request to the Douera stadium administration to review surveillance camera footage and launch a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrator of the thrown projectile during Saturday’s match against USM Khenchela (2-0) in the 8th round of the championship. In a statement published on its social media platforms, the Algiers outfit clarified that this initiative aimed to establish the identity of the person responsible for the incidents. “The management of MCA informs its loyal supporters that it has addressed an official request to the stadium administration to examine surveillance recordings and initiate a deep inquiry with the goal of identifying the person behind the projectiles thrown onto the pitch,” the communique stated.
The MCA leadership also emphasized that such conduct did not reflect the broader behavior of its fanbase, citing the sportsmanlike atmosphere that characterized the team’s matches this season at both domestic and continental levels.
“The club management affirms that such unacceptable behavior remains isolated individual acts that can under no circumstances be generalized to all Mouloudia supporters, nor serve as a pretext to tarnish their civilized image, let alone obscure the ideal conditions that characterized the team’s home matches this season on national and African stages, which generally reflected high sportsmanship and exemplary behavior worthy of the history and reputation of the Dean of Algerian clubs,” the statement continued. Furthermore, the club reaffirmed its rejection of any action capable of harming its interests or reputation, assuring it would take the necessary measures to establish accountability.
“The club management categorically rejects any behavior likely to harm the team’s interests or damage its image, and will spare no effort to determine responsibility and deal firmly with such infractions,” MCA highlighted. Regarding the possibility of appealing the sanction imposed on the club and its supporters, management indicated that existing regulations did not permit lodging an appeal in this instance.
“Concerning the possibility of appealing the penalty inflicted on the club and its fans, the direction clarifies that current regulations do not legally allow submitting an appeal in such a scenario, given that the sanction is under four matches,” the statement concluded. As a reminder, MCA was handed a two-match stadium ban following the use of pyrotechnics and a thrown projectile that resulted in an injury to an opposing player.