Rabah Madjer, a former Algerian footballer has been sentenced to prison for fraud
Rabah Madjer, an Algerian footballer and former Porto striker, was sentenced to six months in prison by an Algerian court on Thursday for making “false assertions,” according to local media.
Madjer, the owner of two newspapers, was discovered to have continued to deposit cheques from a public advertising agency for a year after the papers were shut down.
He told AFP he had solicitor’s documentation demonstrating he had no involvement in the case and that he planned to appeal.
“All I want to say is that I have nothing whatsoever to do with this business. I’m innocent,” he said by phone.
Forgery and fraud charges were dropped.
However, the 63-year-old and a co-defendant called Brahim M. were sentenced to prison and compelled to pay the national publishing and advertising agency 500,000 dinars ($3,435 or 3,200 euros) (ANEP).
The Algerian scored an amazing back-heel in the 1987 European Cup final for Porto against Bayern Munich, a play that was eventually named after him.
In the 1982 World Cup, he also scored a critical goal in a 2-1 victory over West Germany.
He went on to manage Algeria’s national football team, however after eight months on the job and a succession of defeats, he was fired in June 2018.
