After almost two years in detention, former Algerian Football Federation (FAF) president Kheireddine Zetchi has been sentenced to eight years in prison by the Sidi M’Hamed court in Algiers.

The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, one week after proceedings concluded at the economic and financial criminal division.

Zetchi, who led the FAF from 2017 to 2021, received the same sentence as Charafeddine Amara, one of his successors as federation president. Djahid Zefizef, another former holder of the post, was sentenced to six years, while Abdelghani Nekkache, the federation’s former administrative director, was given three years.

The case concerns the FAF’s financial management between 2017 and 2023. Prosecutors had sought 10-year prison terms and fines of five million dinars against several defendants, including former federation presidents.

The charges included abuse of office, misappropriation of public funds and the awarding of contracts in breach of regulations to provide unjustified benefits.

Zetchi had been held in pre-trial detention since November 2024, while the trial had been postponed six times before finally reaching a conclusion.

Defence argued federation rules did not apply

Throughout the hearings, Zetchi’s lawyers called for his acquittal. They argued that the FAF’s financial accounts had been approved by its general assembly and that the federation’s status as an association meant it was not strictly subject to the public procurement code.

The defence also presented evidence intended to support their client’s personal integrity. According to Me Feddag, Zetchi returned the annual $20,000 allowances he received from CAF to help fund women’s football and youth categories.

His lawyers also said he had personally paid for part of the renovation of the national team hotel at the Sidi Moussa Technical Centre.

“Every night, I ask myself what my wrongdoing was,” Zetchi said in his final statement to the court, insisting that he had always acted with integrity.

A founder of Paradou AC and its renowned academy, Zetchi’s time as FAF president included the appointment of Djamel Belmadi and Algeria’s victory at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

That triumph was Algeria’s first continental title for 29 years.

The verdict has had a major impact on Algerian football, with Zetchi’s sentence coming close to the punishment requested by prosecutors. His legal case may now continue through the appeals process.