The decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to authorize the Moroccan club Renaissance Sportive de Berkane (RS Berkane) to wear a “controversial” jersey during the CAF Cup has caused an outcry in Algeria. The jersey in question displays a map of Morocco including the Sahara.
This approval was perceived as a political gesture in favor of Morocco by the Algerian authorities, reports the site Fennec Football. However, during the qualifying match against the Beninese club Dadjè, RS Berkane played with a neutral jersey, without political symbols. It was the authorization given by CAF for the group phase which ignited the powder.
To read: RS Berkane-USM Algiers affair: Algeria does not give up
Anticipating this problem, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) alerted CAF in August, asking for explanations and recalling a similar incident that occurred the previous season. This letter remained unanswered.
The case will finally be decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, which will hear the parties on November 12.
Morocco
