Controversial Algerian Club Chairman Denies Resigning

Controversial Algerian club chairman Cherif Mellal has denied ever quitting Premier League vice-champions JS Kabylie.

Mellal was the subject of a smattering of boos from a good section of Algerian fans during his club’s African Champions League tie with Sudan outfit Al-Merrikh.

JS wrapped up the fixture as 1-0 victors but Cheriff wasn’t there to watch to the end after storming out of the stadium in anger.

The chairman’s unceremonious departure soon fueled reports of his resignation as social media went ballistic over the news streamed even by the mainstream Algerian outlets.

The development came much as a shock with the Algerian top tier league just a game old. For a man whose love for dispatches is well known, news of his reported resignation surprisingly went on for days without a rebuttal surfacing.

However, he has now opted to open up on the issue admitting he felt insulted by fans’ antics but repudiated quitting.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “I do not understand why I was insulted. I do not hide it, it hurt me a lot and I was badly affected by it. If I came, it is to work and not to enjoy at JSK. I sacrificed everything to be up to the challenge and ultimately to reap results.”   [/perfectpullquote]

“All that has been said is false. I never thought of resigning, after what happened in Bejaia. Some took advantage of this kind of situation to destabilize the team. As far as I’m concerned, I have never thought of leaving. On the contrary, what has happened has emboldened me even more,” he said on Sunday evening.

Mellal’s reign at The Yellows has been marred by numerous fractious moments prompting the football Association to at one point slap a ban on him for claiming without evidence that champions USM Alger fixed their way to the domestic title.