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Rabat – The derogatory comments of the Algerian sport commentator Hafid Derradji toward Moroccans have always sparked controversy online, and yet, beIN Sports seems to continue turning a blind eye on the act.
Shortly after the Algerian football team was eliminated in the first round of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) after losing to Ivory Coast (3-1) on January 20, Derradji, known for his hostile comments against Morocco, was involved in a heated online debate in which he allegedly insulted a Moroccan woman.
In a screenshot of a social media exchange between a Moroccan woman and Derradji, which was shared on twitter, Derradji called Moroccan women “prostitutes,” stressing that all Moroccans are “bastards.”
“The whole world knows that you [Moroccans] are sons of a b**. When we say a Moroccan woman, we say b** and when we say a Moroccan man, we say son of a b**. The latest figures claim that 50% of Moroccans are bastards,” he said, according to the screenshotted messages.
The journalist took to his personal twitter to address the shared messages, claiming that the screenshots are fabricated from a fake account.
The young Moroccan responded to his claims, sharing a video in which she showed her Twitter inbox. The woman’s account showed the sports journalist’s message, in which he insulted Moroccan women.
“Why would I share a fake post? What motives would push me to do that against him if it is fake,” the woman said in a video defending her position.
لمن يقول انه مفبرك فقط صراحة ليس لدي ما اضيف pic.twitter.com/yBo1UPHb0q
— Maryam ?? (@LightoMA19) January 20, 2022
Derradji later tweeted that twitter removed what he described as a “fake account.” However, the account is still active on the platform. Many Moroccan netizens are tweeting under the hashtag #DerradjiOUT, calling for the Qatari network to intervene.
Derradji’s history of anti-Moroccan statements is seen by many as evidence of the veracity of the social media exchange.
A source close to Nasser al-Khelaïfi, chairman of the board of directors of beIN Media Group told local news outlet Le360 that Derradji “was given clear instructions to avoid mixing sport and politics,” while also expressing their surprise by the commentator’s new “shameful” action.
“His shelving for several weeks obviously did not teach him a lesson,” the same source added.
It appears that Derradji continuously received warnings from his colleagues, but the absence of strong sanctions against his unprofessional behaviors towards Morocco only adds more fire to the situation.
With this being the nth time the Algerian journalist attacks Moroccans, Derradji is reportedly “almost isolated, boycotted by his colleagues, and knows that his days in the headquarters of Bein Sports in Doha are numbered,” quoted by Le360.
“He [Derradji] is aware that he is not going to last long and that a decision announcing his eviction could fall at any time. He takes advantage of it to serve the agenda of the military in Algiers,” a source told local media.
Derradji’s history of controversial remarks
In August 2021, the Algerian commentator was at the heart of another controversy, commenting on Morocco’s domestic affairs and describing Moroccan officials as “zionists” after the Morocco-Israeli rapprochement.
He also requested Algeria to maintain the border closure with Rabat.
The journalist further claimed that Morocco did not send aid to his country amid the horrific wildfires that struck the country last year amid a wave of wildfires in the Mediterranean region. His remarks neglected to mention that it was Algerian President Tebboune who ignored Morocco’s offer to dispatch two firefighting aircrafts to put out raging forest fires in Algeria.
With over 2 million followers on twitter and 8 million on Facebook, his statement did not go unnoticed even after immediately deleting them afterwards.
His Moroccan colleagues within the Qatari network did not hesitate to call him out for his reckless statement.
Amine Sebti, a Moroccan BeIN Sports journalist wrote on his Facebook page, “I have previously written on the topic of responding to those who attack my country and are trying to spread their poison for known goals, and I am ready to respond again, We started from the bottom and climbed up the stairs until we reached what we have reached today.”
Mohammed Ammor, director of beIN SPORTS News Channel slammed Derraji and the anti-Rabat campaign that pro-Algerian military activists have initiated on social media.
“Who told you that we would like to open the borders with people like you?,” Ammor said, emphasizing that King Mohammed VI “called for the reopening of borders for reasons that you cannot understand.”
Derradji’s recent statements are a radical departure from past remarks, in which he praised Morocco and ridiculed the Algerian regime.
Derradji in the past confronted Algeria and mocked the Algerian Football Federation before, stressing that his country is unable to host a “chess competition” let alone the Africa Cup of Nations.
At the time, he praised Morocco’s infrastructure and the country’s ability to welcome the 2019 CAN.
But as his pro-Moroccan position has changed over the years, his continuous controversial remarks on social media anger many Moroccans who are urging BeIN Sport to fire him while also asking for a lawsuit to be filed against him.
