Nice’s Atal banned for 7 games for sharing Israel-Hamas post

Nice defender Youcef Atal has been suspended for seven matches by Ligue 1 for a social media post about the Iarael-Hamas war, it was announced on Wednesday.

Nice had already suspended Atal last week until further notice and said that he apologised for his actions. After the matter was reviewed by the French soccer federation’s ethics committee, the French league’s disciplinary commission suspended Atal.

Atal’s suspension comes after the Nice public prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation targeting Atal on charges “of defending terrorism” for sharing the message online. The prosecutor’s office said Atal is also being investigated for “public incitement to hatred or violence because of a particular religion.”

The 27-year-old Atal, who also plays for Algeria’s national team, apologised after reportedly reposting and then deleting a video in which a Palestinian preacher made an antisemitic statement.

Writing on Instagram, Atal said he understood that his post was shocking to some people and said he condemns all forms of violence, “no matter where in the world.”