The authorities in Algeria prohibited entry into its territory of the delegation of the Berkane Sports Renaissance, a Moroccan football club billed to play an Algerian side in an international competition.
Traveling to Algiers, to play the semi-final first leg of the African Football Confederation Cup (CAF) against Algiers Medina Sports Union (USMA), scheduled for Sunday, April 21, the Renaissance Sportive from Berkane, Morocco, was stopped from entering Algerian territory.
”The Algerian authorities must have had difficulty appreciating that the Moroccan players wore outfits bearing the map of the Kingdom, with its Sahara,” said one Moroccan official.
Therefore, the players and the delegation accompanying them were held up at Houari Boumédiène International Airport in Algiers. The Berkane team was at the airport for hours, with their football equipment and uniforms confiscated for the duration.
The delegation had obtained authorization to travel to Algiers on a Spanish plane, thus circumventing the access restrictions imposed by Algeria on Moroccan flights.
Once again, this incident highlights Algeria’s persistent tensions towards Morocco, particularly Algeria’s ban on Moroccan flights since September 2021, which creates recurring problems during sporting events and other meetings between the two countries.
The neighboring Maghreb countries have had difficult relations in light of Morocco’s claim over her Sahara part which Algeria supports the bid of the Polisario.