chargement...
In recent days, the case of a 14-year-old Algerian-American boy named Wassim, who was assaulted in the United States, has spread widely across social media before being picked up by Algerian media outlets, where it quickly gained momentum, as is often the case when Morocco is involved. What began as an assault on the sidelines of the Morocco-Netherlands match at the 2026 World Cup in Boston soon evolved into a media and political issue that extended far beyond the incident itself.
The events unfolded on Monday evening in a fan zone where supporters had gathered to watch the match. Clashes broke out after the Netherlands took the lead, with several groups of fans becoming involved.
Amplifying the incident
Social media played a key role in amplifying the story, with accounts exaggerating the assault circulating widely before being presented as established facts by several Algerian pages and media outlets.
In his first statements to Algerian media, Wassim said he had attended the fan zone with friends of Moroccan origin who study with him and that he had gone there to support Morocco. He explained that he happened to be in the area where the fight broke out. His account is consistent with a video recorded before the incident, in which he appeared alongside Moroccan influencer Amine, known as Skilibi, who asked him whether he wanted Morocco to win. «Yes, I swear to God», the teenager replied.
In a later interview with the Algerian newspaper Al Shorouk, Wassim said he was still in shock but had begun recovering from the incident. He explained that he was attacked after the clashes erupted, saying some fans assaulted him after noticing he was wearing an Algerian national team jersey, without identifying their nationalities.
Speaking to Boston 25 News, the teenager said he had received widespread support online. He also said a representative of the Algerian embassy had visited him and offered him two tickets to attend the Algeria-Switzerland match.
Several Algerian media outlets focused on describing some of the attackers as Moroccan supporters, without mentioning accounts suggesting that people of other nationalities were also involved or videos showing Moroccan fans assisting the boy immediately after the assault. Following the incident, the Moroccan influencer who had appeared with Wassim beforehand published a video expressing his regret. According to him, the group of attackers included Libyan and Egyptian teenagers in addition to Moroccans.
Another video shared on social media shows several Moroccan supporters, dressed in Morocco jerseys, surrounding Wassim after the assault, asking him who had attacked him and reassuring him by saying, «Don't be afraid, we're with you». They also offered him water, while one supporter kissed him on the head in an apparent attempt to comfort him.
At the same time, members of the Algerian community in the United States organized a solidarity rally, calling for justice for Wassim and for those responsible to be identified.
Tebboune weighs in
The case eventually reached the highest levels of the Algerian state. On Thursday, after casting his vote in the legislative elections, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said Algerian authorities were closely monitoring the teenager's condition and confirmed that he had been discharged from hospital. He added that Algeria's ambassador to the United States had been instructed to follow the legal proceedings with US police and judicial authorities, alongside the Algerian delegation and the country's sports minister.
Meanwhile, Algerian social media pages circulated claims that Wassim had fallen into a coma and that several Moroccans had been arrested in connection with the assault. However, the teenager's uncle denied those reports, saying that, at the time of his statement, no arrests had been made.
BeIN Sports commentator Hafid Derradji also weighed in, posting what he said was a conversation with Wassim on Facebook. According to Derradji, the teenager had been diagnosed with a concussion before leaving hospital. He also claimed that security authorities had reviewed surveillance footage and identified more than 30 people ahead of possible legal action.
US authorities, however, have not confirmed the claims regarding arrests or the identification of dozens of suspects. The incident has also received limited attention from major American media outlets, despite several fan clashes occurring during the World Cup.
