In a video interview with Just Riadh, Paris FC playmaker Ilan Kebbal looked back on his four appearances for Algeria. He accepts the players’ share of responsibility rather than laying into former head coach Vladimir Petkovic.
In a video interview with content creator Just Riadh, recorded at Paris FC, Ilan Kebbal spoke at length about his time with the Algeria national team, according to Afrik-Foot. Handed his debut with the Fennecs on 14 October 2025 against Uganda by former head coach Vladimir Petkovic, the 28-year-old has made just four appearances, without a single start.
The Paris FC playmaker was left out of the World Cup 2026 squad last summer. He addresses the episode by refusing to lay into the Swiss-Bosnian coach and by accepting the share of responsibility that, in his view, belongs to the players on the pitch. The video, posted on the Just Riadh YouTube channel, passed 300,000 views in under 24 hours.
Responsibility lies with the players first
On the Petkovic question, Kebbal stays measured. “We’re players and we stay in our place as players. Sometimes certain coaches don’t make the right choices, but we have our share of responsibility too,” he tells Afrik-Foot. A general remark, without naming and blaming the former head coach.
The player also stresses the difference between his obligations at club level and those tied to the national team. “At club level, I put pressure on myself not to mess up, but with Algeria it’s not the same thing. We have this pressure to perform for the country and to give the supporters what they deserve on the pitch,” he confides. He thus evokes the particular intensity of wearing the Greens’ shirt, compared with the weekly demands at club level. At Paris FC, he remains a key attacking figure in Ligue 1 this season, under his coaching staff, according to Algérie Foot.
Maza and Aït-Nouri, the two names dropped
Asked about the most technically impressive players in training with Algeria, Kebbal did not hesitate. “In terms of a crack, I say Maza. There’s also Aït-Nouri. He can play number 10, he can play anywhere. (…) I’ve never played against a left-back who can do what he does. On top of that, he defends very well, he’s hard to get past,” the Paris FC playmaker tells Afrik-Foot.
The first name, Ibrahim Maza, is an attacking midfielder at Bayer Leverkusen; the second, Rayan Aït-Nouri, a left-back under contract with Wolverhampton. Kebbal points out that the latter can play number 10. He completes his list with Anis Hadj Moussa and Bachir Belloumi, named among the greatest talents in the Algeria squad.
A personal ranking, delivered by a player who has never started for the Fennecs: four appearances, no starts.
The November window in sight
The Fennecs return to action during the FIFA window of November 2026, for the AFCON qualifiers. The list of called-up players is not yet known, and nothing in Kebbal’s remarks suggests a return of the Paris FC player to the squad.
The interview was relayed by Afrik-Foot and DZ Fantasy.