12/21/24
June 24, 2010
Algerian Player Hits Female Reporter After Match: Algeria soccer player Rafik Saifi slapped a female journalist across the face after the team's 1-0 loss to the United States Wednesday. "I said nothing to him and he reached over and hit me," said Asma Halimi, a writer for the Algerian publication Competition. Halimi hit him back and bloodied his lip and he then threw a sports bottle at her and had to be restrained before attacking her again.
Any male reporter who hit Saifi in retaliation would've had his credentials pulled from the World Cup. Restraining him was the sensible response.
posted by rcade at 09:39 AM on June 24, 2010
Oh my!
posted by yzelda4045 at 10:18 AM on June 24, 2010
Demo nailed my exact three word response right off the bat.
Next time, I hope she wears stiletto heels and does the Baghdad Hokey Pokey:
You take your first shoe off,
Try to hit him in the head,
Take your second shoe off,
Throw it twice as hard instead...
...and that's what it's all about.
Algerian, eh? Why didn't he try out for the French team? He'd be a perfect fit.
posted by beaverboard at 10:31 AM on June 24, 2010
She should hit him back, and is clearly within her right to do so, but this trash from Saifi should result in some dire consequences - like kicked off the team dire.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:34 AM on June 24, 2010
I wonder what the consequences for him are going to be. I would think that in the U.S. his career would be pretty much over for this kind of offense (unless you happen to be a superstar then you could overcome it).
posted by bperk at 11:10 AM on June 24, 2010
I always seems to me the fan riots and player behavior are more exciting than the matches or at least they have more scoring.
posted by Atheist at 11:26 AM on June 24, 2010
Then you didn't watch Italy/Slovakia - it was nothing short of amazing.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 01:55 PM on June 24, 2010
Seconded.
posted by yerfatma at 05:10 PM on June 24, 2010
She should have gone soccer-style to the five-hole ... it might have been the best kick of the tournament for the Algerians.
posted by jjzucal at 05:58 PM on June 24, 2010
I am hereby instituting a Stage One Massengill Alert regarding one Mr. Rafik Saifi. You may now freely refer to him as a douchebag.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 03:00 AM on June 25, 2010
Well, if she said some things about him in some report/story that he didn't like, he should have just retaliated in an interview...
posted by StarFucker at 05:44 AM on June 25, 2010
Algeria? Algeria? Haven't they become irrelevant, just like Italy and France?
posted by jjzucal at 01:52 PM on June 25, 2010
You go girl!! A few of those other reporters should be checking their shorts to see if any manhood remains since it seems no one actually stood up for her, some people just chose to restrain him from going after her again.