As reported by Nice-Matin and RMC Sport, OGC Nice are set for a meeting with their player Youcef Atal (27), who is currently under investigation from the Nice public prosecutor after sharing an anti-semitic video on social media.
Atal shared a video from Palestinian preacher Mahmoud al-Hasanat, who asked God to “send Jewish people a dark day.” The video, shared on Atal’s Instagram on Saturday, was quickly deleted by the Algerian international. Atal took to social media on Sunday to apologise. Amidst the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, Atal’s post garnered criticism, notably from the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, who said that unless he “denounces Hamas terrorists, he no longer has a place at [OGC Nice].”
After being on the receiving end of the city’s mayor, the city’s prosecution is also acting. The Nice public prosecutor announced that it has launched a preliminary investigation into Atal for “condoning terrorism.” According to Nice-Matin and RMC Sport, the club are also set to speak with their defender about the incident. The meeting is set to take place in midweek, and no actions will be taken before this meeting. Le Gym are said to be taking the situation “very seriously.”
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
