Algeria: The football federation takes a radical decision regarding Rayan Aït-Nouri

Rayan Aït-Nouri's time with the Algerian national team has turned sour. The Manchester City defender has been dropped from the squad following an incident during the Fennecs' victory against Zambia.

Rayan Aït-Nouri is experiencing a particularly turbulent international break with Algeria. While he was expected to be a key player for the Fennecs, the 25-year-old left-back did not start the match against Zambia on Friday (3-1).

Having started on the bench, the Manchester City player nevertheless expected to come on as a substitute. He had even begun his warm-up when Algeria's second goal disrupted the coaching staff's plans. Asked to return to the bench, Aït-Nouri was then instructed to resume his warm-up a few moments later.

This situation reportedly sparked a heated discussion between the Algerian international and members of the coaching staff. The player ultimately did not play a single minute in the match, which was won by the Fennecs.

In the wake of this incident, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) decided to remove him from the squad. In a statement released on Saturday, the federation announced that coach Brahim Hemdani had decided to release the player.

"National coach, Mr. Brahim Hemdani, decided this Saturday to release player Rayan AÏT-NOURI from the current national team training camp. The Algerian international will thus rejoin his club, Manchester City," the FAF stated.

Aït-Nouri will therefore prematurely leave the Fennecs' training camp and return to his club. This comes as the defender is still trying to establish himself at Manchester City, having made only two appearances since the start of the season.