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Rabat – In an official communication to Algerian Football Federation, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has affirmed the legitimacy of RS Berkane’s jersey featuring the full map of Morocco, 2M reported.
CAF has urged the Algerian Federation to “promptly” release the Moroccan team’s belongings ahead of their upcoming match against Algerian side Union Sportive Medina d’Alger. The two teams are set to lock horns in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday.
This ordeal began when Algerian authorities denied entry to RS Berkane’s delegation at the Houari Boumediene Airport on Friday due to their jerseys featuring the full map of Morocco.
The team was then left stranded at the airport for hours and their equipment was confiscated by Algerian security forces.
Widely shared images showed RS Berkane players performing Friday prayer at the airport.
Later on Friday, a meeting was held between the club officials and Algerian authorities, with the presence of representatives from CAF.
During the meeting, Algerian authorities demanded that RS Berkane’s officials affix stickers to their jerseys to cover the map of Morocco, a request the club strongly refused, considering it absurd and unacceptable.
After hours of negotiations and a prolonged standoff, CAF requested that the team leaves the airport and move to their hotel, promising to return their full equipment before Sunday’s game
Late on Friday night, RS Berkane’s delegation complied with CAF’s request and left the airport premises to relocate to a hotel in Algiers.
