A fatal accident that involved a bus carrying players and officials of Algerian top-flight club side, Mouloudia Club El Bayadh, on Wednesday night, has claimed the lives of the club’s assistant coach, Khalid Muftah, and goalkeeper, Zakaria Bouziani, the club said in a statement on Friday.
According to the club statement, the team was travelling to Tizi Ouzou to face JS Kabylie in a league game on Friday when the bus carrying the squad overturned near the city of Tiaret in north-west Algeria.
The statement added that other injured members of the team were in a stable condition.
The Algerian National Football Federation (Faf), in reaction to the tragedy, was forced to postpone all games for the weekend in sympathy with the club.
“Following the tragic accident which left the club and family of MC El Bayadh in mourning, the Algerian Football Federation has decided to suspend all football events planned this weekend,” the Faf wrote on its website.
The federation added that the draw for the next two rounds of the Algerian Cup which was scheduled to be held on December 26, had been postponed till further notice.
Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in a statement on Friday, said he received the news of the tragedy with “great pain and sorrow”, while offering his condolences to the families of the victims.