A promising young Algerian footballer was brutally mowed down on Thursday evening.
While the same afternoon, he had played and scored on penalty (13th) with the A'des Fennecs team against DR Congo (3-0), Benhamouda, 24, attacking midfielder for USM Alger died in a car accident the same evening, on the way back.
Bilal Benhamouda, 1997-2022.
He spent the final few hours of his life scoring for his country and celebrating with his teammates in the national stadium.
We never know when our last day is.
pic.twitter.com/2JCAEGsa4R
— Dean Ammi (@AlgerianFooty) June 10, 2022
This tragedy occurred in the middle of the Four Nations Tournament (Algeria, Senegal, DR Congo and Niger), organized in Algeria some six months before CHAN 2022 - the African Nations Championship, reserved for players playing on the continent and bringing together 16 teams - also hosted by the Fennecs.
The Algerian Federation (FAF) immediately decided to cancel the tournament, which was supposed to end on Sunday.
📄 بيان صحفي |
نهاية دورة الأربع أمم الودية.
pic.twitter.com/2fk2LqHmi6
— Algerian Football Federation (@FAFAAlgeria) June 11, 2022
Djamel Belmadi, the coach of team A, expressed his emotion on the website of his federation: “This is news that touches us all deeply.
I know he was a very good player, a very good boy.
Since my arrival in the selection, (…) I have been able to see his evolution until I saw him join the A' team.
From year to year, he asserted himself.
He was an interesting player.
This is very heartbreaking news.
It's a shock, we're still in shock.
I don't have the words”.
Madjid Bougherra, who leads the A' team, also expressed himself on his Instagram account: “Today is a sad day for us;
for the staff of the national A' team, for the players and for the whole family of national football.
(…).
Billel was a wonderful boy, a talented competitor but above all of an exemplary education and seriousness, whose joy of living and playing ball radiated throughout the group.
He is one of those athletes whose human qualities make work easy.
This season with his club USM Algiers, 4th in the Algerian Ligue 1, Benhamouda, an attacking midfielder, had scored 7 goals and delivered 4 assists.