Walid Sadi Reclaims Algeria’s Football Dignity — FAF’s Strategic Resurgence Returns the Nation to FIFA’s Corridors of Power
✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers – October 2025 – Under the determined stewardship of Walid Sadi, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) has executed, in less than two years, a comeback that few observers deemed achievable: a methodical, diplomatic and institutional reset that has restored Algeria’s presence in regional, continental and now global football governance.
Since his accession to the FAF presidency in September 2023, Sadi has driven a clear, disciplined strategy — domestically reorganizing the federation and internationally re-engaging the networks that determine access to decision-making tables. The payoff has been immediate and tangible: in a single, historic sweep Algeria has placed trusted officials in high-impact roles across UNAF, the African confederation, the Arab Union and, most recently, in FIFA itself.
Three Algerians in FIFA committees — an unequivocal statement of return
The most striking testament to this revival is the recent presence of three Algerian officials within FIFA structures:
• Walid Sadi himself has been appointed Deputy Chair of FIFA’s Stadiums & Security Committee — a senior role that consolidates Algeria’s voice on the rigorous operational issues that govern match safety, venue standards and tournament readiness worldwide.
• Nadhir Bouznad, FAF Secretary-General, has been named a member of FIFA’s Futsal Committee, reinforcing Algeria’s technical footprint in an evolving discipline.
• Salima Ben Aïsti, FAF Director of Finance, has joined FIFA’s Commercial & Marketing Advisory team, marking Algerian entry into the commercial and strategic conversations that shape modern football economics.
Taken together, these appointments — achieved through focused engagement and sustained lobbying — mark a decisive return to relevance at football’s highest administrative levels.
A rapid, staged recovery: UNAF, CAF, the Arab Union and now FIFA
Sadi’s approach has been sequential and deliberate. Within months of his election he secured the vice-presidency of the North African Football Union (UNAF) in December 2023, signalling immediate regional influence. That was followed by FAF’s re-entry into the CAF Executive after an eight-year absence, and Algeria’s return to the Arab Football Executive after nine years away — each a building block toward full reintegration into the decision-making architecture of the game.
These recoveries were not cosmetic: they reflect persistent diplomacy, alliance-building and a recalibration of the FAF’s internal governance to meet international expectations. The quest now is to translate committee membership into strategic leverage — aiming, ultimately, to restore Algeria’s seat within FIFA’s Executive organs, a post the country has lacked since 2015.
Domestic overhaul: rebuilding credibility and professionalism
Parallel to this external campaign, Sadi has overseen an internal overhaul at FAF’s Dali Ibrahim complex, instituting structural reforms designed to professionalize the domestic game. Re-ordering the federation, stabilizing finances, and promoting a realistic roadmap to true professionalization were all presented as prerequisites for credible international representation. In plain terms: a federation that is well governed at home earns respect abroad.
State backing and political capital
Sadi’s resurgence has been accompanied by broad institutional support, notably from the highest levels of the Algerian state. That backing has been instrumental in shoring up his mandate: it affirms that the federation’s return to global influence is a national priority, not just a sporting ambition.
Sporting horizon: World Cup 2026 qualification as proof of concept
Off the pitch, the federation’s reforms are already aimed at sporting success. With the national team under the guidance of coach Vladimir Petković and led on the field by captain Riyad Mahrez, the coming World Cup qualifying fixtures — notably against Somalia and Uganda on 9 and 14 October — are cast as the on-field proof of the federation’s institutional renaissance. Qualification for the 2026 finals would not only vindicate the technical choices made but also crown the administrative revolution Sadi has orchestrated.
A leader in the right place
Observers and stakeholders increasingly describe Walid Sadi as “the right man in the right place.” In a short span he has re-established Algeria in four major football institutions, attracted senior appointments to FIFA committees, and set a credible domestic agenda that links governance to performance. The restoration of Algeria’s football dignity is, above all, the product of strategic vision executed with diplomatic patience and administrative rigor.
Conclusion — from recovery to sustained leadership
The work is far from complete: ambitions remain high — not least the recovery of a seat in FIFA’s executive decision-making and the consolidation of professional football at home. Yet the trajectory is unmistakable. Through a combination of institutional reform, targeted diplomacy and political support, Walid Sadi and the FAF have engineered a rapid rehabilitation of Algeria’s standing in world football. If the national team confirms that momentum on the pitch by securing World Cup qualification, the federation’s renaissance will have achieved both symbolic and substantive validation.
For Algerian football, these months mark the end of a long exile from the international corridors of power and the beginning of a new chapter: a federation once sidelined is now back at the table — respected, influential and determined to convert positions of authority into long-term benefits for the game at every level of the nation.
📡🌍 | About Dzair Tube Media Group | 🌍📡
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📰 Dzair Tube is a trailblazer in Algerian digital journalism, delivering high-quality content in Arabic, French, and English. With more than 📈 500,000 daily clicks, it ranks among the most influential media platforms in the country.
🏆 Awarded the President of the Republic’s Prize for Professional Journalist in the Electronic Press category (🗓 October 22, 2022), Dzair Tube is widely recognized for its editorial excellence and integrity.
📱 Massive Digital Reach:
🔴 350,000+ YouTube subscribers
🔵 6 million+ followers across Facebook pages
📸 70,000+ Instagram followers
🎥 Operating from state-of-the-art studios, Dzair Tube broadcasts rich and diverse programming, including:
🗞 News | ⚽ Sports | 🎭 Entertainment | 🕌 Religion | 🎨 Culture
🗣️ Featuring interactive talk shows and exclusive interviews with prominent figures from politics, business, arts, and more, Dzair Tube serves as a key platform for public discourse and civic engagement.
📰 Its print sports daily, “Dzair Sport,” enjoys over 50,000 daily downloads via the official website—further cementing the platform’s multimedia leadership.
🎖️ Honored with the Media Leadership Award by the former Minister of Communication, Mohamed Laâgab, and celebrated at the Hilals of the Television awards, Dzair Tube continues to lead with innovation, influence, and impact.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🌐 Stay Connected:
🔗 Website: www.dzair-tube.dz
🔗 English: www.dzair-tube.dz/en
📲 Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
