Footballer Youcef Atal taken into police custody after his publication on the war between Israel and Hamas

The investigation continues. Youcef Atal, Algerian defender of OGC Nice, was placed in police custody on Thursday, November 23, before being presented to a judge on Friday, franceinfo learned from the prosecution, confirming information from the daily Nice morning. The footballer is the subject of a preliminary investigation for “apology of terrorism”.

Youcef Atal shared a video on his Instagram account of a preacherin which the latter asked God to send “a dark day for the Jews” And “to accompany the hand” residents of Gaza “if they throw the stone”. The public prosecutor’s office, contacted by the prefect and the mayor of Nice, opened an investigation. For its part, the OGC Nice club had suspended the player until further notice and the disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League had imposed a seven-match suspension on him.

Despite the apologies presented by Youcef Atal and the deletion of the post on his Instagram account, OGC Nice explained that it had chosen to “take immediately” Sanctions, “prerequisites” to those that could be taken by sporting or judicial authorities, “given the nature of the shared post and its seriousness”.