For the second week in a row, an African Confederation Cup match between Renaissance Berkane and Algerian club USM Alger was cancelled due to a disagreement about a map on the Moroccan team’s shirts.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded Berkane a 3-0 win in the first leg of their semi-final, which was cancelled last Sunday when the Moroccan team refused to play after Algerian officials took their shirts.
On Sunday in Berkane, just the home players were on the field, saluting their fans as the stadium announcer informed the audience that the match had been cancelled. Moroccan television stated that the USM squad fled the stadium just before the scheduled kick-off at 1900 GMT.
The dispute began when the Moroccan players landed in Algeria last week for the first leg. Customs authorities confiscated Berkane’s clothes because they contained a map of Morocco that included the disputed Western Sahara.
Shortly before the first leg kick-off, USM Alger sporting director Toufik Korichi informed Algerian radio that the match would not be played because Berkane refused to wear any other shirt.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish province, is mostly governed by Morocco but claimed by the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, which seeks independence. Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, citing the problem.
Before the game on Sunday, Renaissance fans held up a banner with a map of Morocco depicting the disputed territory. Several supporters waved Moroccan flags.
The Algerian Football Federation has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, claiming that the Cairo-based authority “validated the request of the Moroccan club, RS Berkane, to wear a shirt with a political message”.
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