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Rabat – Officials of Morocco’s RS Berkane club delegation, stranded at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers, have demanded the return of their jerseys and sports equipment confiscated by Algerian security forces before entering Algerian territory, Moroccan outlet Le360 reported.
This development comes after RS Berkane was denied entry into Algeria Friday morning because their jerseys displayed a complete map of Morocco, including its southern provinces.
The team was then left stranded at Houari Boumediene Airport, with images circulating online showing RS Berkane players performing Friday prayer at the airport.
The outlet quoted a source close to the team as saying that its officials threatened not to participate in the upcoming CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals against Algerian club Union Sportive Medina d’Alger if Algerian security authorities refuse to return their equipment.
The move is part of a broader trend of Algeria’s attempts to undermine Morocco diplomatically, particularly in the Western Sahara issue.
Later today, a meeting took place between representatives of Union Sportive Medina d’Alger and RS Berkane, along with delegates from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
However, RS Berkane officials were “compelled” to withdraw from the meeting after Algerian security forces forcibly entered the venue, Le360 reported.
According to the same source, RS Berkane officials were surprised by the security forces’ intrusion into the meeting, which disrupted the planned discussions. They refused to carry on with the meeting due to the presence of security officials, especially since the meeting was solely focused on sports affairs.
Le360 added that Algerian authorities demanded that RS Berkane place stickers on the player’s jerseys to cover up the full map of Morocco as a condition to enter Algerian territory. However, the Moroccan team’s officials strongly rejected the proposal, considering it absurd andinappropriate.
