‘Hundreds of ultras turned up to training' – Former Bohemians star opens up on ‘unique career path' since leaving LOI
ALI REGHBA and his Maribor team-mates recently found themselves face-to-face with their ultra fan group after a disappointing loss.
But his experiences in the six years since the former Ireland youth star left Bohemians to move abroad mean that something so out of the ordinary is not that unusual.
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Ali Reghba left Bohemians for Leicester City in 2019
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He has played in Algeria, North Macedonia and now Slovenia
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He revealed why fan culture in Algeria is especially unique
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The attacker told SunSport: 'We lost a league game against a team that was bottom of the table.
'There were a lot of reasons why we lost . . . but we lost and the ultras had a word with us after the game.
'They weren't happy which is understandable because in Maribor, the standards are really high.
'We're the biggest club, the biggest budget, the expectation is to win.' The thought of Slovenian ultras waiting outside the dressing room for a chat might sound somewhat menacing to someone in Ireland.
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But this is nothing new or out of the ordinary for Reghba who had a similar experience when playing in Algeria with CR Belouizdad.
The 25-year-old Irish-Algerian continued: 'When I was in Algeria, that was times a hundred!
'In Algeria, the fanbase of the team I was at was huge, they could have filled stadiums with 60,000 or 70,000 if they were allowed.
'And there are a lot more ultras in Algeria.
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'I remember we were on a bad run of games and they showed up at training. Even with our security, they couldn't stop them because they showed up in their hundreds.
'They weren't happy. It didn't go further than that — it wasn't physical — but that was an experience.'
Colm Whelan shakes fourth official's hand during Bohemians clash against Shamrock Rovers
And the Dubliner has had a lot of those since departing Bohs for Leicester City in 2019, before moving to Algeria, North Macedonia and now Slovenia.
Many experiences were good. Some were bad.
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But Reghba would not change any of them.
He said: 'It's unique. A lot of people see my career path and think it's strange, which you would see from an outside perspective.
'Because it is different. But I'm the sort of person who wants to try different things.'
'I know my level, and I knew Macedonia could be a springboard again if I took my chance. Thank God it worked out.'
That 'different' career began with a pretty common move for an Irish youngster as he departed for England to the Foxes. Reghba said: 'That's the ideal move for every young lad from Ireland.
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'It went well for me for a while at Leicester but then injury and whatnot caught up with me.
'And then you get to an age when you need first-team football and Leicester wouldn't allow me go on loan for the first two seasons, though there were clubs interested.
'By then, I had a year and a half left on my contract and I said, 'I can't stay here any longer, I need to move on'.
'I had options in the lower leagues in England but I wanted to try something different and CRB reached out.
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'They are a big team in Algeria, in the African Champions League, so I thought, why not? It will be an experience.'
CULTURE SHOCK
Reghba was not taking a step completely into the unknown.
His father hails from Algeria and the family used to spend summers there when he was growing up.
But playing football there was still a culture shock.
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He added: 'I knew Algerian football but not to the extent of what it actually is, there was a lot more to it than I expected . . . things apart from the football.
'It's very political at clubs, it was a learning curve.
'Even though it wasn't the greatest move for me career-wise — I didn't do amazing — I learnt a lot.
'Looking back, it was maybe not the best decision to make but I'm happy I made the decision when I did.'
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Again looking for first-team football, he asked for his contract to be ripped up in 2023, though there was a delay that led to a six-month spell out of the game.
Reghba explained: 'There was interest but because I hadn't played that many games, teams were hesitant and wanted a look at me.
'But the transfer window was closing too.
'I went to a club in Turkey and they wanted to sign me but we couldn't get it done.
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'So I was then without a club for six or seven months and that's when the decision comes, 'What do I do now, do I go back to Ireland?'
'But that's not what I wanted to do. Once I left Ireland in my football career, I didn't want to go back.
'Not because of any problem with Irish football, but I believe I can go further, even after all these experiences.'
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Ali Reghba of Republic of Ireland and Tomas Tavares of Portugal during the 2019 UEFA U19 Championships semi-final
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Still, his next move was one he felt was about regaining confidence rather than testing himself as he joined North Macedonian outfit Rabotnicki.
Whereas the League of Ireland is currently ranked 31st in Europe, North Macedonia is ranked 51st. But Reghba saw it as a springboard.
He said: 'I had options at bigger clubs but I knew the owners in Macedonia, and I knew they wouldn't make it difficult for me when the time came to move on.
'I know my level, and I knew Macedonia could be a springboard again if I took my chance. Thank God it worked out.'
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He scored seven goals and had five assists in 16 games for Rabotnicki to help the club into title contention and put himself on the radar of a host of European clubs.
But he remained in the Balkans as Slovenian outfit Maribor made an offer, with Reghba keen to test himself in a league that is ranked higher — 28th in Uefa's rankings.
He researched the club and figured it was a side going places having recently been bought by former Shelbourne owner Acun Ilicali.
He said: 'Maribor was the right choice, I'm enjoying it here. It's a nice small city but not too far from bigger cities like Vienna and Zagreb.
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'Slovenian is quite easy to pick up after being in Macedonia, the language is quite similar plus everyone has a good level of English. The standard of football is very good too, though we're a bit disappointed with our league position.
'We're second and it's going to be hard to win the league.'
But Reghba — who is under contract until 2027 — now hopes to push on, with international honours also his long-term goal, be it with the land of his father or his mother.
The ex-Ireland Under-19 player said: 'Of course it's an ambition but right now it's about club and if I do well then that chance will come.
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'Who with is not something I've thought about too much.
'Ireland and Algeria, I feel deeply connected to both countries.
'My mother is Irish and it's where I grew up and my dad is Algerian and we travelled there every year as kids.
'When the time comes, I'll sit down and think about it.'
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