The Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded RS Berkane a victory (3-0) by forfeit at the expense of the Algerian team USM Alger, in the semi-final first leg of the CAF Cup. This was canceled on Sunday due to a dispute over the jersey worn by the Moroccan team. CAF has indicated that the return match between the two teams is maintained on April 28.
A victory by forfeit against a backdrop of discord over Western Sahara. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded RS Berkane a victory (0-3) at the expense of the Algerian team USM Alger, in the semi-final first leg of the CAF Cup canceled on Sunday April 21, due to a dispute over the jersey worn by the Moroccans. CAF, whose headquarters is based in Cairo, decided « to sanction USM Algiers with a 0-3 forfeit for the match against RS Berkane », according to a letter sent by the body to the Algerian federation, which AFP was able to consult. The Moroccan football federation for its part confirmed, in a press release, having been informed of the CAF decision. “The return match between RS Berkane and USM Alger” scheduled “at the Berkane municipal stadium at 8 p.m. (local time) on April 28, 2024 is maintained,” according to the same source. Confiscated jerseys showing a map of Morocco with Western Sahara According to Algerian media, customs officers had confiscated the jerseys of the RS Berkane team upon its arrival in Algeria on the grounds that they contained a map of Morocco including Western Sahara. This vast territory, a former Spanish colony, is approximately 80% controlled by Morocco but claimed by the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with its great regional rival in 2021, particularly because of this issue. Saturday, on the eve of the match, CAF stressed that RS Berkane had been playing with this jersey flocked with the same card since the start of the tournament. And the next day, a few hours before the meeting, she rejected an appeal from the Algerian Federation, according to a press release obtained by AFP. The president of the Algerian Football Federation Wafi Sadi then announced the provision of “high quality jerseys” to the Moroccan team, without the Moroccan card. But the sports director of USM Algiers, Toufik Korichi, announced on Algerian radio that the match was ultimately not going to be played, because of the refusal of the RS Berkane club to enter the field with jerseys other than those seized in Algiers. After CAF’s decision in favor of the Moroccan team, the president of the Algerian Federation announced that he intended to bring the matter before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
