(foto: Posnetek zaslona)
A scheduled football match in Algeria was canceled when Moroccan club RS Berkane refused to play without their jerseys featuring a map including Western Sahara, escalating a longstanding political dispute.
A football match in Africa was canceled due to a controversial map depicted on jerseys. This incident adds to previous political tensions in sports, similar to when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wore a scarf featuring "Greater Hungary" during a friendly match, sparking diplomatic rows due to its inclusion of territories from several neighboring countries.
Recently, a similar situation unfolded in North Africa. Moroccan club Renaissance Sportive de Berkane was set to play the African Confederation Cup semifinal against Algerian club USM Alger. However, upon their arrival at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers on April 19, Algerian customs confiscated the Moroccan team's jerseys because they featured a map of Morocco that included the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which has been under Moroccan occupation since 1976 despite the Polisario Front's resistance supported by Algeria.
The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) lodged a complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which was rejected, stating that RS Berkane had previously worn the same jerseys without issue. The Algerian federation's president, Wafi Sadi, insisted that the game would not proceed under these conditions and offered high-quality alternative jerseys without the contentious map. In response, Hakim Benabdellah, president of the Moroccan club, declared that his team would not play without their official jerseys.
On April 21, 40,000 spectators at Stade du 5 Juillet awaited the match that never started. RS Berkane players warmed up but returned to the locker room, refusing to play. USM Alger's sports director, Toufik Korichi, announced on Algerian radio that the match was canceled.
Days later, CAF ruled the game a 3-0 default victory for the Moroccan side, although they were the ones who refused to play, impacting USM Alger's defense of their title and giving RS Berkane a chance to win their third Confederation Cup. The other semifinal between Egyptian club Zamalek and Ghana's Dreams FC ended in a goalless draw in Cairo.