Algerian international Riyad Mahrez solves a problem for the Guinea team in just one hour!
The Guinean Football Federation resolved its national team crisis just 24 hours before their match against Mozambique, scheduled for Monday, June 10, as part of the fourth phase of qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The objective is to solidify their position as group G leaders and distance themselves from Algeria, who will play against Uganda without their star Riyad Mahrez.
The Guinean team caused a major upset by beating Algeria 2-1 last Thursday at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers, thus sharing the top spot in group G with 6 points. However, Algeria leads due to a better goal difference and is also ahead of Uganda and Mozambique by the same criterion.
The results of the third matchday of qualifications in group G complicated the situation, opening up the competition between Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, and Mozambique for the top spot. The matches of the fourth matchday, scheduled for Monday, June 10, will be crucial in defining the new standings. Guinea will face Mozambique at the El Jadida Stadium in Morocco, as Guinean stadiums are not approved by the African Football Confederation due to non-compliance with safety standards and FIFA regulations.
Guinean players end their strike thanks to $6,000
Guinea’s national team players boycotted training on Saturday to protest against the non-payment of certain bonuses by the Guinean Football Federation, notably two bonuses for the June training camp and the bonus for the victory against Algeria, triggering a crisis within the team. This situation sparked sharp criticism against the Guinean players and anger from supporters, fearing that their team, despite having stars like those from VfB Stuttgart, would squander the advantage gained by beating Algeria.
The Guinean Football Federation quickly paid the bonuses demanded by the national team players, totaling $6,000. Although modest, this amount caused a major crisis within the Guinean camp.
$6,000, an amount Riyad Mahrez earns in an hour
The Guinea team’s strike due to this modest financial bonus highlighted the considerable differences with the Algerian team, which had recently defeated them. Algeria is among the most expensive African teams, thanks to the high market value of its stars and their hefty salaries, notably Riyad Mahrez of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli, who earns an annual salary of €52 million, according to several sources.
Based on Riyad Mahrez’s salary and a simple calculation, the Saudi Al-Ahli star earns approximately $4.3 million per month, or about $144,000 per day, and around $6,000 per hour, the same amount that caused the Guinea players to strike after their victory against Algeria.
Riyad Mahrez is not the only one with a high salary in the Algerian team. Other players, such as Ismaël Bennacer of AC Milan, Houssem Aouar of AS Roma, and Ramy Bensebaini of Borussia Dortmund, also have significant salaries.
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