For Fennecs midfielder Mehdi Abeid, the Algerian national team has gone through difficult times in recent months, including the elimination of qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
In an interview with the Emirati daily “Al Bayan“, taken up by DZFoot, Mehdi Abeid evokes the frustrations born of the elimination by Cameroon last March.
“We have been through some tough times over the past few months with opposite feelings and a lot of frustration during the play-offs. What we saw in this game is sad. I hope we will have better African football in the future. I’m not looking for the buzz. Football is first and foremost a sport. We failed to qualify for the World Cup and we have to think about what happens next,” said Mehdi Abeid.
The Algerian midfielder also clears his team of their inability to maintain a result which ensured them of participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “Many attributed this defeat to overconfidence or arrogance towards the Cameroonian team. The players don’t think that way, and that’s why we managed to dominate Africa for 3 or 4 years. When the team is going through a difficult period, you have to support it and help it overcome it, ”he says.
Mehdi Abeid reveals in this interview to have been shaken by the elimination conceded at the Mustapha Tchaker stadium in Blida against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. “I was devastated by the harsh criticism directed at the team, even though I was not with them on the pitch. I shared with them a feeling of sadness. I spoke to some of my friends from the national team and asked them to hold their heads up. »