Algerian football commentator Hafid Derradji has defended his coverage of Libya’s 2-0 win over Tunisia in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, saying commentators should not be expected to celebrate one Arab team beating another.
Derradji was responding to criticism in Libya after the match, which was played at the Taieb Mhiri Stadium in Sfax on Friday. The General Syndicate of Sports Media Professionals in Libya accused him of using comments that appeared to favour Tunisia over the “Knights of the Mediterranean”.
The syndicate called for Derradji to be suspended from commentary work on beIN Sports and said he should no longer be assigned Libya matches. Its statement said the complaint was not about his nationality or his right to express an opinion, but about what it described as belittling Libya’s victory.
Speaking to Libya Al Ahrar, the beIN Sports commentator said he had not intended to insult the Libyan team or diminish the significance of its win.
Derradji said his professional role required him to assess what happened on the pitch rather than display emotions to satisfy supporters. He added that there was no obligation for a commentator to be happy when one Arab side defeats another, or sad when the losing team is also Arab.
“I am not required to be hypocritical,” was the message at the centre of his response, as he rejected demands for what he described as artificial enthusiasm, favouritism or compliments intended to please a particular audience.
He said he would clearly support Libya if it were playing a team from outside the Arab region, such as Botswana. However, he did not believe he had to choose between Libya and Tunisia when the two sides were facing each other.
Derradji also made clear that he had not celebrated Libya’s victory or mourned Tunisia’s defeat. His assessment, he said, was based solely on the performances of the two teams.
He acknowledged that Libya had played well and deserved praise, while describing Tunisia’s display as poor. But he rejected the suggestion that failing to show strong emotion at Libya’s success amounted to disrespect for the players’ achievement.
The dispute followed a match in which Ali Yusuf put Libya ahead from the penalty spot in the 44th minute. Hamdou Elhouni added the second goal in the 62nd minute to secure all three points.
The result moved Libya to four points from three matches, while Tunisia remained on two points. The outcome increased the significance of the teams’ next meeting in the race to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Libyan syndicate urged commentators to respect professional standards of neutrality and avoid language that could encourage intolerance or harm relations between the peoples of the Maghreb. Derradji’s response was to reiterate that he would not favour either side simply to meet supporters’ expectations.
