Algeria close stadium, ban Kabylie from hosting games

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian authorities have closed the stadium in Tizi Ouzou where a player was struck by a object thrown from the crowd on Saturday and subsequently died, the country’s football federation said on Tuesday.

(Reuters)

Cameroon-born forward Albert Ebosse was struck on the head by an object allegedly thrown from a section of his club JS Kabylie’s own fans as the players left the field at the end of a 2-1 defeat to USM Alger in Tizi Ouzou, a match in which he had scored his side's goal.

JSK have been ordered to play home games for the rest of the season outside of the Tizi Ouzou province while the stadium will be closed until an investigation into the incident is complete.

The federation said it would consider later whether to withdraw JSK from next year’s African Champions League, for which they have qualified after finishing runners-up last season.

Ebosse died of blunt object trauma after a sharp object caused internal bleeding, said preliminary autopsy reports released by Algerian authorities on Monday.

All matches in Algeria this weekend has been cancelled as a sign of respect to the player and also to protest “the irresponsible action of fanatics and hooligans who perpetuate violence in stadiums which has reached unacceptable proportions,” the federation said.

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Justin Palmer)