Former Algerian coach Rabeh Madjer handed six month prison sentence

Former Algerian footballer and coach Rabah Madjer has been handed a six-month prison sentence over financial irregularities, according to the BBC. 

Madjer, 63, was found guilty of continuing to cash cheques in the names of two newspapers he owned, Al-Balagh and Al-Balagh Erriadhi, for a year after their closure. 

🚨🇩🇿 Former Algeria manager Rabah Madjer given 18-month jail sentence for fraudulent corruption offences. pic.twitter.com/aDwDJuwJrU

— Dean Ammi (@AlgerianFooty) June 2, 2022

Madjer and a co-defendant Brahim M were ordered to pay 500,000 dinars ($3435) to the national publishing and advertising agency (ANEP), and sentenced to jail time by an Algerian court. 

ANEP had also accused the defendants of forgery and fraud, but those charges were later dropped. 

Madjer has denied any wrongdoing and confirmed that he will appeal the verdict. 

Rabeh Madjer is known for the goal he scored for Portuguese club Porto against German giants Bayern Munich in the 1987 European Cup final. He also scored a crucial goal for his country in a 2-1 victory against West Germany at the World Cup in 1982. 

He went on to coach the Algeria national team three times, and was sacked from his most recent eight-month stint following a series of defeats in June 2018.