Morocco U20 forward Samir Bouhoudane has apologised to Algeria supporters after sharing a provocative image on social media following his side’s 3-1 victory over the Fennecs at the UNAF U20 tournament in Egypt.
The 18-year-old, who plays for Jong PSV, reposted an image generated by artificial intelligence on his Instagram story after Wednesday’s match. It showed him holding a fennec by the neck, an apparent reference to the nickname of the Algeria national team.
The post quickly attracted criticism, particularly from Algerian supporters, amid the longstanding rivalry between the two countries. Some viewed the image as a provocation and a sign of disrespect towards Algeria’s team.
Bouhoudane subsequently removed the post and issued an apology in a second Instagram story.
“I would like to apologise to the Algerian supporters for my post. I did not know what what I shared meant and I did not intend to disrespect anyone. I was simply happy about the victory. I am sorry if I offended anyone; that was really not my intention,” he wrote.
The Morocco forward said he had shared the image in the excitement of the win without understanding the significance it could carry.
The incident followed an important result for Morocco, who defeated their North African neighbours 3-1 in their third match of the UNAF tournament. The competition is being used as a qualifier for the next Africa Cup of Nations U20.
The victory represented a significant boost to Morocco’s hopes of reaching the tournament, while Algeria’s position has become considerably more difficult.
The young Fennecs must respond in their final match against hosts Egypt if they are to maintain their hopes of qualification. Their defeat by Morocco came in their third appearance of the tournament.
The match itself was another intense meeting between the two sides, but the rivalry continued beyond the final whistle as Bouhoudane’s social media post created a separate dispute away from the pitch.
Morocco’s win therefore produced both a strong sporting outcome and a brief controversy, which the Jong PSV player attempted to end by apologising to those who had interpreted the image as offensive.