Scandal on the bench. Manchester City star sent home from national team camp

Rayan Aït-Nouri has left the Algeria national team camp early and returned to Manchester City. The decision was made by national team head coach Brahim Hemdani after the 3-1 victory over Zambia.

The reason was an incident caught on video. The footballer started the match on the bench. After the break, Aït-Nouri was sent out to warm up, but after Zambia equalized, the coaching staff asked the defender to stop preparing and return to the bench. Following Algeria’s second goal, he was again instructed to go out for the warm-up, but this time he refused to follow the coaches’ orders.

• Also read: Canada vs Chile match prediction: preparations for the official matches are gathering pace

The situation is particularly notable for the 25-year-old given his status at Manchester City. This season, Aït-Nouri has played just 105 minutes for the club across two matches. He started the Carabao Cup tie against Norwich City and provided two assists, while in the Champions League he spent 15 minutes on the pitch and set up Erling Haaland.