Algeria loses because of Zetchi’s vote against the Sahara?

Monday 14th October 2024 01:24 AM

Algeria Foot – Rafik Wahid, Algerian daily journalist
El Khabarreturned to the USMA-Berkane (Morocco) affair, awaiting the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), while emphasizing the acceptance by CAF of the controversial Morocco map. This map includes Western Sahara as part of its territory on the jerseys of Moroccan teams.

According to Wahid, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF), under the current presidency of Walid Sadi, suffers from weak influence within CAF. He attributes this situation to the former president, Kheireddine Zetchi, who, during his mandate, allowed Wadie Jary to become the sole representative of North Africa on the CAF Executive Bureau. Zetchi, who was aiming for a position at FIFA, ultimately withdrew his candidacy, losing crucial positions within international bodies.

Walid Sadi therefore finds himself in a weak position against his African rivals. Rafik Wahid explains that the current president of the FAF cannot be judged too harshly for the moment, because Algeria had already lost its influence before his mandate, at a time when Morocco had strengthened itself. Wahid also recalls an episode from March 2021, during a CAF General Assembly in Morocco, where Zetchi voted against Western Sahara, simply because he had not taken the time to read the agenda containing a Moroccan resolution, specifies the journalist.

Despite these challenges, Rafik Wahid affirms that Walid Sadi is doing an excellent job at the head of the FAF and that he could soon obtain a place within the CAF.