Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal was handed an eight-month suspended sentence by a French court for inciting religious hatred in a social media post about the conflict in Gaza, AFP reports.

The 27-year-old defender, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, must also pay a fine of $49,000 for sharing a video calling for a “black day for the Jews”, the Nice criminal court ruled.

He will further pay for details of his conviction to be published in regional daily Nice-Matin and national newspaper Le Monde.