The name of Algeria’s USM goalkeeper, Oussama Ben Bout, has come back strongly as one of the important options for national voter Vladimir Petkovic, coinciding with the approaching date of the 2026 World Cup, in light of the unfitness of international duo Anthony Mandria and Malvin Mastil due to injury.
Although the Al-Ittihad goalkeeper announced his retirement from international football after his participation with the “Greens” in the African Cup of Nations in Morocco, the great performances that Ben Bout has shown with the sons of “Soustara” this season, through his contribution to reaching the final of the Confederation Cup and the Algeria Cup, turned his return to the ranks of the national team into a popular demand and a necessity required by the current state of the team at the goalkeeping level, in light of the injuries of Mandria and the newcomer Mastel, as well as the fluctuations in the levels of the rest of the goalkeepers of the tournament. Local, such as Farid Chaal, Gaya Merbah and Bouhalfaya.
However, according to a source close to the national team, voter Vladimir Petkovic has not yet decided to include the native of Ain Melilla in the expanded list of (55 players) concerned with participating in the World Cup, which he is expected to submit before next May 13. The reason is due to the situation of goalkeeper Oussama Ben Bout, who, according to him, announced his retirement from international football, and if he really wants to retract his position, he must, according to Petkovic, submit a letter of apology just as he submitted a retirement letter. Earlier, he published the news of his desire to wear the colors of the national team again, which is the same position adopted by the Algerian Football Federation, whose officials believe that what the Al-Ittihad goalkeeper did was “irresponsible behavior” when he announced his retirement from international football immediately after the “Greens” returned from Morocco, affected by the disappointment of being eliminated from the quarter-finals against Nigeria.
Goalkeeper Osama Bin Bout announced his retirement from international football after the national team bid farewell to the African Cup of Nations finals last January, as he felt disappointed that he did not get the opportunity to participate in the African competition against the Equatorial Guinea national team. However, like most international players, the decision to retire may come at a moment of anger or emotion in which the player loses control of his feelings and behaviour, and makes wrong decisions, as the Federation officials consider regarding what was issued by Ben Bout.
Because national voter Vladimir Petkovic always stresses discipline and strictness in the national team, he first stipulated that the Algerian goalkeeper “take action” and express an explicit intention to retract his decision to retire, through a letter in which he apologizes or expresses his readiness to represent the “Greens” again and answer the call before being summoned to the next camp, in which the teammates of captain Riyad Mahrez will play a friendly match against the Netherlands national team on June 30 next.
For his part, goalkeeper Osama Bin Bout, although he refused to be drawn into the debate of “retirement or apology,” confided to one of his close associates that he would not refuse to wear the colors of the national team again because representing Algeria is a “national duty,” stressing that he would heed the call if called upon to join the ranks of the national team, especially since the World Cup is every player’s dream, as he put it. However, he has not yet decided to write a letter of apology, considering that the majority of players retire from international play in a moment of anger or emotion, but they soon return. They withdraw from the decision out of love for the country.
