Algeria’s First Fennec d’Or 2025 — A Football Celebration in Paris?
By Riad Beladi
Algeria marked a first this year: the Fennec d’Or 2025, a new awards ceremony celebrating football and national talent, was staged — not on Algerian soil — but in Paris. Yes, the city that represents Algeria’s colonial past hosted a national event meant to honour Algeria’s finest in football and culture.
For many, the decision was baffling. Why hold the inaugural celebration of Algerian football excellence in the capital of the very country Algeria fought so hard to gain independence from? While organisers may argue Paris offered international visibility and access to the diaspora, the symbolism remains uneasy, even painful.
Football, Glamour, and Foreign Soil
The event was undeniably spectacular. Algerian football stars, celebrities, and cultural icons walked the red carpet with elegance and style. Performances by Soolking, Moh Milano, and Chaba Zahwania electrified the stage, blending music with the excitement of football achievements.
The ceremony began with the Algerian national anthem, a moment of pride for the athletes and fans — yet hearing it resonate in France was heavy with irony. One cannot help but imagine the Algerians who fought and died for independence from French rule, silently watching this symbolic contradiction.
A Question of Identity
The inaugural Fennec d’Or aimed to celebrate Algeria’s football success and cultural talent. Yet hosting it in Paris sent a mixed message: a nation proud of its sports achievements, but seemingly unable or unwilling to stage its own premiere event at home. Algeria has grand venues, from Algiers’ modern stadiums to historic theatres in Oran — why was the first celebration abroad?
While the event showcased Algerian glamour and international flair, it also subtly suggested a lack of confidence in hosting on native soil. Football is about passion, identity, and national pride — qualities that feel diminished when the celebration occurs in another country.
The Inaugural Event — A Show of Contrasts
The Fennec d’Or 2025 was visually striking and well-orchestrated. Football awards mingled with performances, lights, and music, making it an event to remember. Yet beneath the spectacle lies a tension between national pride and foreign prestige.
Algerian stars were celebrated, but their achievements were framed within a Parisian theatre, under French lights. For a country that has long battled to assert its identity, this choice feels contradictory, even dissonant.
The first Fennec d’Or successfully combined football, culture, and entertainment into a glamorous evening. But by holding it in Paris, the organisers missed an opportunity to root Algeria’s football pride firmly at home.
Algeria deserves to celebrate its champions on its own soil, where the cheers, the anthem, and the lights reflect a nation united in its identity — not in a foreign capital with historical baggage.
The Fennec d’Or 2025 dazzled in style, yet left a lingering question: can Algeria truly shine when it looks beyond its borders to celebrate its own?