Algerian sports commentator Hafid Derradji has broken his silence to respond to the criticism directed at him in Libya, following his commentary on the match between Libya and Tunisia in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Speaking to the "Libya Al-Ahrar" website, the beIN Sports commentator stressed that he did not intend to offend the Libyan national team or belittle the value of its 2-0 victory. A sports commentator, he insisted, is not required to show feelings of joy or sadness when one Arab national team beats another. His stance lands amid mounting controversy over the limits of professional neutrality in commentating on Arab matches.
Draji's response came after the General Syndicate of Sports Journalists in Libya issued a statement criticising his performance during the match at the Taïeb Mhiri Stadium in Sfax on Friday evening. The syndicate argued that some of his phrases reflected a bias towards the Tunisian national team at the expense of the "Knights of the Mediterranean".
Criticism alone did not satisfy the Libyan side. They went further, demanding that the Algerian commentator be suspended from beIN Sports channels and never again assigned to Libyan national team matches. That put Draji in direct confrontation with a wave of popular and media objections.
The Algerian commentator explained that the nature of his work compels him to deal with matches away from flattery and emotional bias. He rejected the idea that he should show exceptional enthusiasm simply because one of the two sides is an Arab national team.
A commentator, in his view, is not required to feel joy at the victory of one Arab national team over another, nor sadness at the loss of the opposing side. His primary task is to convey the events of the match and comment on what happens inside the pitch, without his voice turning into a tool for expressing affiliations or meeting the expectations of the fans.
To illustrate the difference between the two types of encounter, Draji cited the matches the Libyan national team plays against teams from outside the Arab region. He would clearly side with Libya, he affirmed, if it faced a team like Botswana.
Matters change, though, when the match pits two Arab national teams against each other. He does not find himself required to favour one over the other or to show feelings that do not reflect his true position.
Draji did not stop at clarifying his professional point of view. He also took aim at some fans who demand of him, as he described it, hypocrisy, flattery and bias towards their teams simply because they are facing another Arab national team.
He did not rejoice at Libya's victory, he affirmed, just as he did not feel sad at Tunisia's loss. His assessment of the match was not linked to favouring one team over another, but to what each side produced inside the pitch.
The Libyan national team played well and deserved praise for its performance, he acknowledged, set against the poor level shown by Tunisia. He rejected the notion that not showing enthusiasm for Libya's win was evidence of belittling the achievement of its players.
The crisis traces back to the clash between Libya and Tunisia at the Taïeb Mhiri Stadium in Sfax, where the "Knights of the Mediterranean" secured a precious 2-0 victory.
Ali Youssef opened the scoring for Libya in the 44th minute from a penalty. Hamdou Elhouni added the second in the 62nd to confirm his team's superiority and seal the three points.
Libya moved up to 4 points from three matches, while Tunisia stayed frozen on two. The result only sharpened the importance of the upcoming meeting between the two sides in the qualification calculations.
According to the General Syndicate of Sports Journalists in Libya, the commentary failed to reflect the superiority shown by the Libyan national team. The syndicate demanded respect for the rules of neutrality and professional charters, insisting the objection had nothing to do with the commentator's nationality or his right to express his feelings, but with what it described as belittling the value of the Libyan victory.
It also called for avoiding phrases that might stir up bigotry or harm the fraternal relations between the Maghreb peoples. Draji, for his part, chose to respond by clarifying his philosophy on commentating and affirming that he does not see himself as obliged to flatter any side simply to please his fans.