Kheireddine Zetchi has asked to be acquitted at the end of his trial, while his lawyer has disclosed payments and donations that the former president of the Federation Algerienne de Football (FAF) had apparently wanted to keep private.

The verdict is expected on 27 October, following a hearing that began on 13 October after six postponements. Zetchi has spent almost two years in pre-trial detention.

During the closing stage of proceedings, defence lawyer Me Feddag told the president of the court he was reluctant to discuss his client’s actions.

“I did not want to say this, and I am a little embarrassed because my client does not want me to talk about it,” he reportedly said.

He then stated that Zetchi had personally received $20,000 a year from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) while leading the FAF. That amounted to $80,000 over his full term, according to the defence.

Me Feddag said the entire sum had been returned to the FAF to support women’s football and youth categories. He also claimed Zetchi had donated ceramic tiles worth the equivalent of 2.5 billion centimes for renovation work at the national team’s hotel at the Centre technique national de Sidi Moussa.

The court will decide what weight to attach to those claims in a case that includes allegations concerning the FAF’s financial management between 2017 and 2023.

Prosecutors have requested 10 years in prison for each of the three former FAF presidents named in the case: Zetchi, Charaf-Eddine Amara and Djahid Zefizef.

The defence has rejected the accusations. It has argued that the federation’s financial statements were approved by its general assemblies and maintained that the FAF received no public subsidy during Zetchi’s presidency.

In his final statement, Zetchi requested an acquittal and said he met all the conditions for release under judicial supervision.

“These months in prison have been hard,” he said, adding that he had acted with integrity. “Every night, I ask myself what my fault was.”

Zetchi founded Paradou AC and its academy before becoming FAF president from 2017 to 2021. His time in office included the appointment of Djamel Belmadi and Algeria’s historic Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2019.

That success earned him strong public praise from the coach and Algeria’s players when his presidency ended.

His tenure was also shaped by a power struggle with the faction represented by Walid Sadi, a former ally of Mohamed Raouraoua and the current FAF president. The pair had previously faced each other in the contest for control of the federation.

The investigation that led to the trial began after Sadi took office and raised concerns about the financial situation inherited by the FAF. Zetchi’s supporters have interpreted the case through that political rivalry and suggested it could be part of a settling of scores.

The court is due to rule on the allegations on 27 October, independently of the competing factions surrounding Algerian football.