LOUAFI LARBI/Reuters/Corbis
In the aftermath of his team’s disappointing last-minute loss to the United States, Algeria’s Rafik Saifi allegedly slapped a female reporter in the interview zone after the match.
According to Yahoo Sports, Saifi got in an altercation with reporter Asma Halimi of Algeria’s Competition newspaper. “I said nothing to him and he reached over and hit me,” Halimi told Yahoo Sports. “So I hit him back. I said nothing to him first.”
According to Yahoo’s Martin Rogers, Halimi had previously written an article critical of Saifi for her newspaper.
Algerian officials didn’t comment on the report. Halimi says she plans to file a report with FIFA and Algeria’s soccer association. (via Yahoo Sports)