The Ultimate Goal: Independence

The Heroes' Escape, The Complete Story

Delve into the story of the Algerian footballers who traded European pitches to join the fight for independence. In 1958, in the midst of the War of Independence, talented players secretly left their clubs to form the FLN team – a living symbol of the Algerian people's struggle. This clandestine team, banned by FIFA, served as a mouthpiece for the Algerian provisional government until 1962. Footballer Rachid Mekhloufi explained: “This departure of the best Algerian players playing in France was no accident. With the control of the media, few French people knew what was happening in Algeria. The FLN representatives in France were ahead of the curve in terms of publicity. Truly ahead of the curve, because a move like this allowed the French people and the rest of the world to open their eyes.”

Cast

Mohamed Boumezrag

Self (archive footage)

Mokhtar Arribi

Self (archive footage)

Mohamed Allam

Self (archive footage)

Rachid Mekhloufi

Self

Mustapha Zitouni

Self (archive footage)

Kaddour Bekhloufi

Self (archive footage)

Abdelaziz Ben Tifour

Self (archive footage)

Abderrahmane Boubekeur

Self (archive footage)

Abdelhamid Kermali

Self (archive footage)

Abdelhamid Bouchouk

Self (archive footage)

Amar Rouaï

Self (archive footage)

Saïd Brahimi

Self (archive footage)