A return match scheduled for Sunday in Morocco between the Moroccan team RS Berkane and the Algerian USM Alger was canceled like the first match in Algeria, due to a dispute over the jersey worn by the Moroccans, journalists from the ‘AFP.
Only the Moroccan players entered the pitch in Berkane (eastern Morocco) to greet their numerous supporters while the speaker announced the cancellation of the match, according to the same sources. The Algerian team left the stadium just before the initial whistle of the match, theoretically scheduled for 7:00 p.m., according to the Moroccan channel Arryadia.
The first leg of the semi-final of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup had already not taken place a week ago, after the refusal of the Moroccan team to play without their jersey containing a map of the Morocco including Western Sahara. The jerseys were confiscated from the players upon their arrival at Algiers airport, according to Algerian media.
Before kick-off this Sunday, RS Berkane supporters brandished a “tifo” with the map of Morocco showing the disputed territory, AFP noted. Many fans carried Moroccan flags.
On Saturday, in the official stores selling the Berkane Sports Renaissance jersey, the enthusiasm was palpable. “There is a big demand,” Soufiane Al Korchi, representative of the official distributor, told AFP, stressing that the “card has been part of the official design for three years.”
The vast territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is approximately 80% controlled by Morocco but claimed by the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with its great regional rival in 2021, particularly because of this issue.
After the cancellation of the first leg, CAF awarded RS Berkane a 3-0 victory by forfeit at the expense of USM Alger. Requested by the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) before this match, CAF agreed with RS Berkane, emphasizing that he had been playing in his jersey flocked with the same card since the start of the tournament.
The FAF initiated this week a procedure to appeal the CAF sanction before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, estimating that the Cairo-based body had “validated the request of the Moroccan club, RS Berkane, to wear a jersey with a political message” during the semi-final first leg.