Youcef Bouandel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. The death of football star Rachid Mekhloufi at the age of 88 has marked the end of an era.
His journey is a symbol of perseverance, talent, political courage, sacrifice and sportsmanship. Indeed, as a player he was never given a single card for foul play — never sent off, nor flagged by a referee. Those players who have known him closely speak of a humble man, generous with his time and advice to young players.
Read more: Hamas-Israel conflict: Algeria offers to host Palestine's football matches — the bigger history. As a kid in the s, I often heard the name Mekhloufi. He coached the national football team throughout the tournament. Algeria won the gold medal, beating former colonial power France in the final. Coming from a football mad family, my brothers held him in the highest possible esteem. The win against France ensured that the French national anthem La Marseillaise, a reminder of colonial rule, would not be played on Algerian soil that day.
Algeria had won independence in after years of war against France. Instead, it was Kassamen, the national anthem of independent Algeria, that was played. He was more than a footballer who mesmerised fans on the pitch, he was a symbol of resistance to many Algerians.
At the time, Algeria was firmly under French rule, an integral part of the French territory. They would become his teammates in the rebel football team of the Algerian resistance in the late s and early s. After independence, each served a stint as coach of the national football team. During that time, he helped the team win its first ever title: they were crowned French champions. Soon enough he won four caps for the French national team.
