Morocco and Algeria have long-standing political tensions over the Western Sahara territory. Now these tensions have reached the football pitch and the courtroom.
A controversial map displaying the disputed region added to the design of a jersey of a Moroccan team has led to two semi-final matches in a continental tournament being cancelled, a place being awarded in the final to one of the two teams, and the issue being escalated to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
This is the story of how that all happened.
The regulations of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) — the people who decide the rules of football — state that no “political statements or images” or “the shape of a country or territory” should be included on kits.
But the African Football Federation (CAF) authorised RS Berkane — from Morocco — to wear a kit that included a map of the disputed Western Sahara territory at the start of the Confederation Cup.
IFAB told The Athletic that CAF are responsible for the matter as the competition organisers.
Fans holding up a banner showing the disputed map (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
This was immediately a problem. Morocco claims 80 per cent of the Western Sahara region, with the remainder overseen by the Algerian-supported Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Polisario Front.
The two sides were at war over the territory between 1975 and 1991, after Spain withdrew from colonial rule. The border between Morocco and Algeria has been closed since 1994 and diplomatic ties ceased in 2021, in part due to Morocco strengthening links with Israel.
The United Nations (UN) designates Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory and it is regarded as the last African state not to achieve independence.
Due to the historical dispute, meetings between Moroccan and Algerian clubs were likely to involve diplomatic tensions. Up until the semi-finals, RS Berkane had only encountered teams from other African nations.
On arrival in Algeria, problems occurred before RS Berkane could get on the coach to go to their hotel. The team’s kit was confiscated by customs officials at Algiers airport in the capital because of the controversial map. In protest, the Moroccan team refused to leave for hours until it was released. Images showed players sleeping in corridors and stretching inside a small room.
“We will not propose other options, nor will we succumb to blackmail, because our land is not negotiable,” said RS Berkane president Hakim Benabdellah to the Morrocan website Al Mountakhab.
The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) appealed to CAF to prohibit the use of the shirts, but it was dismissed on the day of the game (April 21).
USM Alger supplied replacement shirts — without the map on the front — and hung them in their opponent’s dressing room. RS Berkane refused to wear them or take to the field.
USM Alger arrive at RS Berkane’s stadium (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
Having rejected USM’s initial appeal, the African federation deemed the Algerian side — who won the tournament last year — in breach of rules and awarded RS Berkane a 3-0 victory. They also said that USM may face “possible additional sanctions”.
CAF ordered the return game in Morocco to go ahead on April 28 as planned, but with USM refusing to play against a team in those shirts, another 3-0 forfeiture was applied.
As it stands, RS Berkane will advance to a two-legged final of the competition — Africa’s secondary intercontinental club tournament after the CAF Champions League — against Egypt’s Zamalek on May 12 and 19.
But the Algerian federation has escalated the matter to CAS. They feel there are questions to answer regarding regulatory stringency and fairness. They could deem CAF’s actions unreasonable.
FAF and USM are now engaged in legal discussions surrounding the case. The appeal process was outlined as a viable avenue for aggrieved parties in the governing body’s statutes.
The African governing body has not released a statement since the cancellation of the second leg. The African Football Federation spokesperson told The Athletic that the matter is now being “handled by independent bodies” and due to the situation being “under legal process”, they wouldn’t comment further.
CAF also denied there was any conflict of interest concerning one of the organisation’s vice-presidents Fouzi Lekjaa, the current president of the Morocco Football Federation, who was formerly president of his hometown team RS Berkane. The organisation insist he wasn’t part of any of the decision-making processes associated with the authorisation of RS Berkane’s shirts and the issue has never been raised at executive committee meetings.
This is not the first time this situation has impacted football. In 2020, South Africa and Mauritius pulled out of the Africa Futsal Cup of Nations, sanctioned by CAF, after Morocco hosted it in Laayoune in Western Sahara.
RS Berkane line up before the second-leg game without their opponents (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
Two years ago, Morocco withdrew 24 hours before the African Nations Championship — a biennial international tournament for domestic league players. Morocco withdrew from the tournament in Algeria after being refused a direct flight into the host country.
Map outlines have been featured on other shirts in African football. Mauritania — which borders Western Sahara and was involved in conflict over the region — included an outline of the nation around their badge for the last Africa Cup of Nations. The islands of Cape Verde have featured on their shirts, while Ivory Coast’s badge has been crafted in the outline of the nation. However, all have featured UN-recognised borders, unlike in the case of RS Berkane’s interpretation of Morocco.
Russia complained to UEFA before Euro 2020 after Ukraine featured a map encompassing Crimea — which has been occupied by Russia since 2014 — on their shirts. It was permitted but they had to remove the phrase “glory to the heroes” on the collars due to military connotations.
Chilean club Palestino were fined by the Football Federation of Chile (FFCh) in 2014 after the number “1” on the back of their shirts was shaped as a map of Palestine before the creation of Israel in 1948. The club said: “For us, free Palestine will always be historical Palestine, nothing less.” They were banned from doing so as the FFCh were opposed “to any form of political, religious, sexual, ethnic, social or racial discrimination”.
The Western Sahara region involves entrenched views on both sides of the Morocco and Algeria border. What might seem only to be a dispute over a kit means a lot more to those living the situation.
The USM Alger players leave the stadium after refusing to play (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
Moh Mayara is a Saharawi journalist who lives and works in Laayoune, Western Sahara, the largest city of the disputed territory.
“Such actions (of RS Berkane) set a dangerous precedent that potentially emboldens Morocco expansionist ambitions into other territories,” Mayara — who considers his city to be under Moroccan occupation — tells The Athletic. “As a victim of Moroccan expansionist policies for over five decades, it’s crucial to stand firm against any attempt to normalise or legitimise such behaviours.”
Before the first leg was called off, Benabdellah said: “The map of the Kingdom of Morocco is not up for discussion. Either we play with our jerseys on or we return to our homeland. This is our right and we will not compromise.”
Much depends now on CAS’s decision — more than any action on a football pitch.
(Top photo: Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
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