The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) issued a decision prohibiting accredited photojournalists from photographing or recording video clips of match events, and prohibiting them from being published or broadcast through various media outlets and social media platforms without a prior license, in a step that came without accurately determining the identity of the entity granting the license or its mechanisms. The federation justified its decision by protecting exclusive broadcasting and television rights, hinting at taking legal and regulatory measures against violators.
On the other hand, the decision sparked widespread dissatisfaction and criticism because it restricts journalistic work, given the importance of these clips in revealing violations and incidents that were overlooked by official television broadcast cameras and the inability of referees to monitor them, which on many occasions turned into key evidence upon which disciplinary committees relied to impose penalties on players and officials.
