During CAF Confederation Cup first leg semi-final between moroccan club RS Berkane and ASM Alger, algerian authorities prevented players of the Moroccan team from wearing their jerseys which contained the entire map of the Kingdom. This attempt to politicize football forced the African Confederation to cancel the match.
Since they arrived to Algiers airport, the players as well as the staff of the Moroccan team suffered provocations from the Algerian authorities who confiscated their jerseys under the pretext that it contained the entire map of Morocco including the Sahara.
Then the African Football Confederation authorized Moroccan players to wear the jersey. However, the Algerian authorities did not accept this decision, which led to the cancellation of the match.
The Moroccan press reacted strongly to this controversy by criticizing an attempt to politicize football. For its part, CAF apologized for what happened.
In a presse release, the african confederation declared that this “matter will be referred” to the competent bodies.
“CAF apologized for any inconvenience caused to our sponsors, TV partners and the supporters”,
The TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup first leg semi-final fixture today, 21 April 2024, between USM Alger and RS Berkane in Algiers, Algeria did not take place as scheduled.