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Rabat – Algeria, which is hosting the 2023 African Nations Championship (CHAN), has rejected Morocco’s demands to open its airspace for the Moroccan national football team to be able to travel to the neighboring country on a direct flight on Morocco’s flag carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM).
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the head of the Organizing Committee of the sporting event Rachid Oukali said: “We are obliged to provide transportation for the participating teams within the national territory only.”
Oukali said that all procedures regarding the teams’ journey to Algeria, including the flight route, are the responsibility of the participating countries. “Most of the African countries that will come to Algeria will do stopovers,” he added, explaining that it is not the responsibility of the committee to ensure the availability of a direct flight route for the participating teams.
Oukali’s response comes one day after President of Morocco’s Royal Federation of Football (FRMF) Fouzi Lekjaa announced Morocco’s conditions for the participation of its national team in CHAN 2023.
Lekjaa said that Morocco would not partake in the tournament unless a Royal Air Maroc flight carries the team from the Moroccan capital Rabat to Constantine, northeastern Algeria, where the team’s matches are set to take place.
The tournament will take place in Algeria between January 13 and February 4, 2023, with the participation of a total of 17 teams, including Senegal, Libya, Cote d’Ivoire, and Ghana, among others.
Relations between Algeria and Morocco have been historically tense because of Algerian support for separatism in the Western Sahara region in southern Morocco. But the long-standing diplomatic feud between the two countries hit a new low in August of last year after Algiers announced its decision to cut all ties with Rabat as Moroccan diplomacy made notable progress on the Western Sahara question.
As justification for its decision to sever ties with Morocco, Algeria accused the kingdom of attempting to undermine Algerian interests and destabilize the country. In particular, Algiers accused Rabat, without proof, of involvement in the wildfires that blazed Algeria’s northern regions last year.
Morocco has denied Algeria’s “unfounded accusations” and tried to open dialogue. But with Algiers shutting down Rabat’s attempts, relations remain strained between the two North African neighbors.
