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Renewal has become a nightmare for desert warriors
Extending Vladimir Petkovic’s contract until 2028 has turned into a financial nightmare for the Algerian Football Association, with the Swiss coach demanding a huge sum of money in return for agreeing to leave, threatening to go to FIFA if he doesn’t get his “contractual rights”.
Days before the start of the 2026 World Cup, the Algerian federation surprised everyone by announcing Petkovic’s contract extension until 2028, a move described at the time as a “message of stability”, but just a month later all accounts collapsed.
The Desert Warriors were eliminated in the round of 32 by Switzerland in a 0-2 defeat that exposed the fragility of the defense and confirmed the failure of the bet on Luca Zidane and goalkeepers, so the team returned home without leaving any discernible traces of 2024 under Petkovic.
The lackluster performance prompted the federation to make the difficult decision to sack the 62-year-old coach, but what appeared to be a simple management decision turned into an expensive legal battle.
According to the site “Miss Mercato“Petkovic claims that the termination of his contract, which was renewed only a month ago, will cost the Algerian federation approximately 5 million euros, an amount that he insists on receiving in full and is not going to make any concessions.
On the other hand, the Federation confirms that the contract includes a clause that allows amicable termination only for two months’ salary, that is, 320 thousand euros. The huge difference between the two figures sparked the crisis, especially when Petkovic threatened to appeal to FIFA to resolve the dispute in his favour.
This financial clash not only threatens the coffers of the federation, but also threatens the future of the national team, as the complicated split will delay the appointment of a new coach at a sensitive stage that needs rapid rebuilding. However, the extension decision, which was meant to be a guarantee of stability, has today become a heavy burden for which Algerian football may pay for years.
