In a striking shift from his previous position, Franco-Algerian player Yacine Adly expressed, yesterday, Friday, his desire to represent the national team, in a scenario that brings to mind similar cases of a number of dual nationality players.
Adly’s statements came during an interview with the electronic channel “Sport Team”, where he clearly changed his tone regarding the issue of playing for the “Greens”, after he had previously confirmed, during his time with Milan, his desire to play at the highest level, in reference to the French national team, a statement that sparked widespread controversy at the time.
The Saudi Al-Shabab club player confirmed that he took responsibility for his previous position, stressing that he was frank in expressing what he was thinking at the time without diminishing the value of the Algerian national team, but in return he acknowledged his remorse for that statement, considering that it “did not benefit him in anything and deprived him of one of his rights.”
He added: “I definitely want to play for the national team. I don’t want people to remember me at the end of my career that I did not represent my country. If I play and defend the national team’s colors, this is what will remain in their minds, not the decision to play for France.”
He continued: “When I meet the Algerians, I express a lot of love. I never feel hatred. They say you should come to the national team. Why are you hindering yourself because of some previous statements? I admit that I made a mistake. In all areas of life there are opinions that change. Sometimes we are convinced of one thing and the next day the opposite.”
Adly gave the example of other players who changed their sports nationality over time, explaining that aging may cause some to review their decisions and feel regret.
The 25-year-old revealed that he spoke with a number of current national team players, and also recently communicated with national voter Vladimir Petkovic, who previously supervised his training at Bordeaux, noting that the final decision remains with the coach and the Algerian Football Federation.
Adly stressed that playing in the Saudi League is not an obstacle to joining the national team, considering that performance on the field is the decisive factor, adding that he is able to provide an addition.
He also stressed that he did not want to cause controversy or distract the team’s focus, especially before the upcoming competitions, saying: “I do not want to be the focus of conversation before the World Cup. The most important thing is the team and what it will offer. I am its first fan, and I may travel to support it in America.”
This is not the first time that a dual national player has retracted his previous decision, as Houssem Aouar is a recent example, after he represented the French national team in a friendly match before later choosing to play for Algeria.
