Death of Rachid Mekhloufi, football legend and symbol of Algerian independence – Libération

Rachid Mekhloufi, football legend and symbol of the struggle for Algerian independence, died at the age of 88, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced this Friday, November 8, paying tribute to this former player of the Algerian team. National Liberation Front (FLN) during the Algerian War. The former striker, who played for Saint-Etienne between 1954 and 1958 then between 1962 and 1968, lived between France and Tunisia, according to informed sources.

President Tebboune “learned with great sadness the news of the death of legendary Algerian footballer Rachid Mekhloufi, FLN player, coach of the national team and former president of the Algerian Football Federation”indicated the Algerian presidency, without giving details on the place of his death. The president of the Algerian Football Federation, Walid Sadi, sent his condolences “most saddened to the family of the deceased and to the great family of Algerian football”.

“This pioneer born in Sétif in 1936 leaves an invaluable legacy that transcends sport, combining footballing passion and patriotic commitment”underlined the FennecFootball site, evoking a “legend of Algerian football and a symbol of the struggle for independence”.

“My example, my model, my master”

Rachid Mekhloufi began his career in Algeria before joining the AS Saint-Etienne club in 1954, where he became an outstanding attacker, spearheading a team in full construction which he accompanied in his first success. He became French champion in 1957 with the Greens at just 21 years old, the first title for the Saint-Etienne club at the end of a season in which he had scored 25 goals, and wore the French team jersey four times, between October 1956 and December 1957.

But in April 1958, in the middle of the Algerian War, he suddenly left France, accompanied by other Algerian players, to join the National Liberation Front (FLN) team, created to promote the struggle for independence. “Through unofficial but symbolically powerful matches, this team becomes a tool of sports diplomacy, drawing international attention to the fight” for independence, recalls FennecFootball. The APS agency also welcomed “the glorious FLN team” who had “makes the voice of the National Revolution heard throughout the world”.

“The Saint-Etienne tears flow. A great man, an immense footballer is gone. Rachid Mekhloufi is no more, but his legacy will never leave us”reacted AS Saint-Etienne on its social networks, accompanying its message with a black and white photo of the player surrounded by footballs. In a press release, the Saint-Etienne club also recounts the commitment of Makhloufi and his “extraordinary personality on the green rectangle of course, but also in his life as a committed citizen”.

“He was an ardent defender of a country and a cause which were dear to him and for which he did not hesitate, one evening in April 1958, to flee, hidden in Aronde via Switzerland, in order to reach Tunisia. . Favoring an ideal over his career which would undoubtedly have seen him set foot on the Swedish pitches at the 1958 World Cup.continues the club. “He was a huge player, my example, my model, my master as a professional”reacted with emotion another Saint-Etienne legend, Jean-Michel Larqué, figure of the next generation, at the microphone of RMC.

After independence in 1962, Mekhloufi resumed his career, first at Servette then again at Saint-Etienne, winning three new French championship titles with the Greens (1964, 1967 and 1968), before becoming captain of the first Algerian national team.