Youssef Atal, a soccer player for Ligue 1 club Nice, was sentenced to eight months in prison with a suspended sentence. In early October, the Algerian shared a video which contained “calls to violence”against the background of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Yusef Ata sentenced to eight months in prison with a suspended sentence for inciting hatred on religious grounds

The court in Nice demanded a ten-month suspended sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros.

Accused of inciting hatred on religious grounds, Atal will have to pay a fine of 45,000 euros and publish his sentence at his own expense in the regional daily Nice-Matin and Le Monde newspaper, the court ruled.

Atal, 27, shared a video posted by Mahmoud al-Hasanat in which the Palestinian preacher asks God to “make a rainy day for the Jews” and “be with the people of Gaza who throw stones.”

The footballer quickly deleted the post and apologized on Instagram.

“It was not my intention to shock the world and I apologize. I strongly condemn any form of violence anywhere in the world and support the victims of war. I have never supported hate messages. Peace is an ideal in which I deeply believe” – Yusef Atal.

Since the beginning of October, Atal has not played a single game for OGK Nice (suspended by his own team) and played only for the Algerian national team. He has been called up for the Africa Cup of Nations, a competition that starts next week in Ivory Coast.