Algeria Football– Redouane Bouhnika recently announced on the set of the El Heddaf channel that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will officially deliver its verdict in February 2025 concerning the dispute between the Union Sportive de la Médina d’Alger (USMA) and the Renaissance Sportswoman of Berkane (RS Berkane). This decision is particularly awaited since the quarter-finals of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup will be played in April, thus allowing the situation to be clarified before this deadline.
A geopolitical and sporting dispute
As a reminder, the case dates back to April 2024 when the two CAF Cup semi-final matches between USMA and RS Berkane were canceled. The first leg, which was to be played in Algeria, did not take place due to a dispute linked to the attire of Moroccan players displaying a map of Morocco including Western Sahara. Algerian authorities confiscated the Moroccan players’ jerseys upon their arrival at Algiers airport, causing the match to be canceled.
The return match scheduled in Berkane was also canceled for the same reasons. While the RS Berkane players entered the pitch to greet their supporters, the Algerian team left the stadium before the scheduled kick-off, marking a new stage in this crisis.
CAF’s decision and USMA’s reaction
Following these events, CAF awarded qualification for the final to RS Berkane, also imposing a financial fine on USMA. This decision was strongly contested by the USMA and the Algerian Football Federation (FAF), who brought the matter before the CAS.
The Algerian club, supported by the FAF, accuses CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) of having made a biased and unfair decision. For their part, RS Berkane and the FRMF supported the CAF decision, considering that the sanctions were justified given the circumstances.
A key decision for the future of the competition
Waiting for the CAS decision is crucial not only for the clubs involved but also for CAF, which will have to clarify the rules surrounding geopolitical disputes and their impact on sporting competitions. With the CAF Cup quarter-finals scheduled for April, the CAS verdict in February will bring a conclusion to this case and determine whether Moroccan clubs will be able to wear jerseys featuring the fake Morocco map or not.
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