The Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded RS Berkane a victory (3-0) by losing at the expense of the Algerian team USM Alger, in the semi-final first leg of the CAF Cup. This was canceled on Sunday due to a dispute over the jersey worn by the Moroccan team. CAF has indicated that the return match between the two teams will be held on April 28.
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A lost victory against a backdrop of discord over Western Sahara. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded RS Berkane a victory (0-3) at the expense of Algerian team USM Alger, in the semi-final first leg of the CAF Cup canceled on Sunday, April 21, due to a dispute over the jersey worn by Moroccans .
CAF, whose headquarters are based in Cairo, decided “to sanction USM Alger with a 0-3 loss for the match against RS Berkane”, according to a letter sent by the body to the Algerian federation, which AFP was able to consult.
The Moroccan Football Federation, for its part, confirmed in a press release that it had been informed of the CAF decision.
“The return match between RS Berkane and USM Alger” scheduled “at the Berkane Municipal Stadium at 20:00 (local time) on April 28, 2024 is maintained,” according to the same source.
Confiscated jerseys showing a map of Morocco with Western Sahara
According to Algerian media, customs officials confiscated the jerseys of the RS Berkane team upon arrival in Algeria on the grounds that they contained a map of Morocco including Western Sahara.
This vast territory, a former Spanish colony, is about 80% controlled by Morocco, but claimed by the Saharawi separatists of the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria. Algeria severed diplomatic relations with its major regional rival in 2021 specifically over this issue.
On Saturday, on the eve of the match, CAF emphasized that RS Berkane had played with this jersey bundled with the same card since the start of the tournament. And the next day, a few hours before the meeting, she rejected an appeal from the Algerian federation, according to a press release obtained by AFP.
The president of the Algerian Football Federation, Wafi Sadi, then announced the delivery of “high quality jerseys” to the Moroccan team, without the Moroccan card.
But the sports director of USM Algiers, Toufik Korichi, announced on Algerian radio that the match was ultimately not going to be played, due to the RS Berkane club’s refusal to enter the field with jerseys other than those seized in Algiers.
Following CAF’s decision in favor of the Moroccan team, the president of the Algerian federation announced his intention to bring the case before the sports court.
With AFP
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