Gijón is a feature documentary about the most infamous match in World Cup history, and the player who never let it go. In 1982, West Germany and Austria played a game now known as the Disgrace of Gijón. A 1–0 result that suited both teams and quietly knocked Algeria out of the tournament. Forty years later, Algerian football legend Rabeh Majer is still chasing the truth. When his former coach passes away, Rabeh sets off on a journey across Europe, tracking down the players who were on that pitch and demanding answers from the men who ended his team's World Cup. Currently in post-production. Expected release in 2026.
Executive Producer
Genre
Documentray
Released date
In Post-production
Production year
2025-2026
Filming Locations:
Algeria, Germany, Austria, Spain
On This Documentary
When Al Jazeera 360 asked me to develop a documentary about Gijón, the obvious version of the film was a historical retelling. Talking heads, archival footage, the match explained. I didn't want to make that. The story that interested me was Rabeh's. A player who never got closure, still asking the question forty years later. So we built the film around him. We follow him from Algeria to Germany to France, sitting across from the men who were on that pitch, asking why they did what they did and what it cost a country that was never part of the deal. The film became a present-day confrontation, not a history lesson. I developed the concept with the director and screenwriter, then stayed on across every stage. From development through pre-production, production, and now post. Supervising the whole thing through to delivery.
