Rafik Saïfi

Rafik Saïfi (Arabic: رفيق صايفي; born 7 February 1975) is an Algerian retired professional football player who played as a forward or as an attacking midfielder.

Rafik Saïfi
Personal information
Date of birth (1975-02-07) 7 February 1975
Place of birth Algiers, Algeria
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Forward, attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1994 CM Bordj El Kiffan 18 (31)
1994–1995 IRB Sougueur 18 (27)
1995–1996 IB Khémis El Khechna 18 (19)
1996–1999 MC Alger 29 (20)
1999–2004 Troyes 110 (19)
2004–2005 Istres 35 (4)
2005–2006 Ajaccio 26 (2)
2006–2009 Lorient 95 (26)
2009–2010 Al Khor 10 (2)
2010 → Istres (loan) 13 (2)
2010–2012 Amiens SC 50 (7)
Total 422 (159)
International career
1998–2010 Algeria 64 (18)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Saifi began his football career at CM Bordj El Kifane. It was there where he got a name for himself as a goal scorer at the age of 17. He went on to represent two other small teams, IRB Sougueur and IB Khémis El Khechna, before making his big move to MC Alger in his home city.[1] There he helped the team win the Algerian league title before moving to France in 1999 at the age of 24 to join Troyes AC. He stayed with Troyes for five seasons, including the 2003–04 season after their relegation to Ligue 2.[2]

Moving back into Ligue 1 with a transfer to newly promoted FC Istres in 2004, Saïfi played 35 matches before leaving following the club's relegation. In 2005, he joined AC Ajaccio, also newly promoted, and suffered a third relegation in four years.

Saïfi moved to FC Lorient, yet another newly promoted club, in the summer of 2006. He started the 2007–08 campaign quickly scoring 4 goals in 4 games.

Al Khor

On 9 August 2009, Saïfi joined Al-Khor on a one-year contract with the club paying a transfer fee of €500,000 to FC Lorient.[3][4] Saïfi scored his first goal for the club on his league debut in a match against Al-Gharafa on 12 September 2009.[5] On 22 October 2009, he scored his second league goal, this time against Al-Kharitiyath.

Istres

On 23 January 2010, it was announced that Saïfi would be loaned out to Ligue 2 side FC Istres until the end of the season.[6] The move was made official on 2 February 2010.[7]

On 4 November 2010, Saïfi signed a contract with Amiens SC.[8]

International career

Saïfi made his debut for the Algeria national team on 5 June 1998, in a friendly against Bulgaria, coming on as a substitute in the 65th minute.[9] On 28 February 1999, he scored his first international goal in the 2000 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Liberia which ended as 1–1 draw.[10] He scored his second goal in the following game, a 4–1 win in the return leg against Liberia.[11]

Saïfi was called up by Algeria head coach Nasser Sandjak to the Algerian national team that was taking part in the 2000 African Cup of Nations in Ghana and Nigeria. In the first game against DR Congo, Saïfi started the game and was subbed off in the 70th minute, with the game ending in a goalless draw.[12] In the second group game against Gabon, Saïfi was left out of the starting line-up and was a substitute on the bench but he did take part as he came on in the 77th minute, replacing his Troyes AC teammate Farid Ghazi.[13] Algeria won the game 3–1. He did not take part in the final group game against South Africa. In the quarter-final against Cameroon, Saïfi was left on the bench again but came on in the 51st minute with Algeria losing 2–0.[14] The team managed to pull a goal back in the 90th minute but lost the game 2–1.

Saïfi was a member of the Algeria team that participated in the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali and started all three group games against Nigeria, Liberia and hosts Mali. Despite the fact that Algeria failed to make it out of the group stage, Saïfi put in a "best eleven" performance and was included in the team of the tournament.[15]

Saïfi was made his third trip to the African Cup after being included by Algeria manager Rabah Saadane in the team list for the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola. He started in Algeria's first game against Malawi, a 3–0 loss, but was subbed off in the 63rd minute by Abdelmalek Ziaya. He started the second game against Mali, a 1–0 win, on the bench and came on in the 80th minute for Abdelkader Ghezzal.[16]

After the FIFA World Cup 2010, he clearly announced through the Tunisian TV channel Nessma, that he was done with his international career.

Assault incident

After a disappointing campaign by Algeria in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in which the team received much domestic criticism, [17] failing to make it beyond the group stage, a controversial incident occurred at the end of the USA-Algeria game in which the USA secured victory in the last minute.[17] Saïfi spotted journalist Asma Halimi, a female reporter who had written an article criticizing him in the newspaper Competition.[17] Saïfi and the journalist had previously been in a dispute because the journalist had translated and published an interview Saïfi had given.[18] He slapped her across the face; Halimi responded by striking him back in the face, catching her nail on his lip.[17] Halimi stated she would file a complaint against Saïfi with governing body FIFA and the Algerian FA.[17]

Career statistics

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[19]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Algeria 199830
199952
2000104
200153
200230
200330
200430
200542
200621
200773
200851
200972
201070
Total6418
Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Saïfi goal.[20]
List of international goals scored by Rafik Saïfi
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 28 February 1999 Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Monrovia, Liberia  Liberia 1–0 1–1 2000 African Cup of Nations qualification
2 9 April 1999 Stade 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria  Liberia 3–0 4–1 2000 African Cup of Nations qualification
3 3 June 2000 Stade 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria  Guinea 1–0 4–0 Friendly
4 2–0
5 16 June 2000 Stade 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria  Senegal 1–1 1–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 11 October 2000 Stade 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria  Cape Verde 2–0 2–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 1 June 2001 Stade 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria  Angola 1–0 3–2 2002 African Cup of Nations qualification
8 2–1
9 6 December 2001 Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria  Ghana 1–1 1–1 Friendly
10 9 February 2005 Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria  Burkina Faso 1–0 3–0 Friendly
11 2–0
12 11 November 2006 Luynes, Aix-en-Provence, France  Burkina Faso 1–2 1–2 Friendly
13 7 February 2007 Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria  Libya 1–1 2–1 Friendly
14 2 June 2007 Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde  Cape Verde 2–1 2–2 2008 African Cup of Nations qualification
15 9 September 2007 Independence Stadium, Bakau, Gambia  Gambia 1–0 1–2 2008 African Cup of Nations qualification
16 5 September 2008 Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida, Algeria  Senegal 2–1 3–2 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
17 20 June 2009 Independence Stadium, Chililabombwe, Zambia  Zambia 2–0 2–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
18 6 September 2009 Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida, Algeria  Zambia 1–0 1–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

Honours

MC Alger

Troyes

Amiens

Individual

References
  1. "FIFA". Archived from the original on 4 March 2012.
  2. Rafik Saïfi – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)
  3. "Transferts : Rafik Saïfi à al Khor (Qatar) - Football algérien". www.dzfoot.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2009.
  4. Transfert DZ 2009/2010
  5. "Goals scored by: Rafik Saifi". goalzz.com. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  6. "L'Équipe - l'Actualité du sport en continu". Archived from the original on 26 January 2010.
  7. "SAIFI est de retour - Ligue 2". www.fcistres.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010.
  8. Signature de Rafik Saïfi
  9. "Bulgarie 2-0 Algérie | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 4 June 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  10. "Liberia 1-1 Algérie | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  11. "Algérie 4-1 Libéria | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  12. "Algérie 0-0 RD Congo | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 23 February 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  13. "Gabon 1-3 Algérie | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  14. "Cameroun 2-1 Algérie | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  15. Duret, Sébastien (12 February 2002). "African Nations Cup 2002 - Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  16. "Mali 0-1 Algérie | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  17. "Algerian slaps female reporter". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  18. "Saifi 'slapped female journalist'". BBC News. 24 June 2010.
  19. Rafik Saïfi at National-Football-Teams.com
  20. Rafik Saïfi - International Appearances
  21. "Newcastle 4-4 Troyes (Aggregate: 4 - 4)". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
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