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Rabat – Algerian Minister of Sports Abderrazak Sebgag has said that his country’s football federation will communicate its decision “via official channels” regarding Morocco’s request for its team to fly directly to the host country to participate in the African Football Championship (CHAN) 2023.
This year’s CHAN is set to be played in Algeria from January 13 to February 4.
Speaking on Tuesday, Sebgag recalled that the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) was “seized” last week by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding Morocco’s request.
“The FAF will respond to CAF via official channels. Algeria has its laws, its sovereignty which is above all consideration,” he said, hinting at his country’s rejection of the Moroccan request.
Morocco’s Football Federation (FRMF) had previously addressed a request to Algerian authorities and CAF, stressing that the Moroccan team will only take part in CHAN if Algeria’s government allows a direct flight to carry the national team from Rabat to Constantine.
The North African kingdom had indicated that it will boycott the competition if its request is not satisfied.
According to Algerian news outlet TSA, Sebgag’s response “signifies Algeria’s refusal to authorize a direct Royal Air Maroc flight between Rabat and Constantine.”
Head of FRMF Fouzi Lekjaa had reiterated Morocco’s request several times, emphasizing that Algeria as a host country of the continental competition “should” put in place all measures to facilitate countries’ participation in the tournament.
This is not the first time that, without directly rejecting Morocco’s request, Algeria has suggested that it will not open the closed airspace between the two countries.
Last week, the head of the CHAN organizing committee Rachid Oukali said that his country is “not responsible for ensuring the availability of a direct route for the participating teams.”
The Algerian official also claimed that “most of the African countries that will come to Algeria will do stopovers.”
In response to Oukali’s remarks, the president of Morocco’s football federation stressed that Morocco had not “asked Algeria to provide us with a private flight or anything.”
Instead, Lekjaa noted, Morocco’s request only sought to highlight the importance of a permission to allow the official airline for Morocco, Royal Air Maroc, to transport the national team directly to the host country.
Algeria closed its airspace with Morocco in 2021 after cutting diplomatic relations with the North African kingdom, which it falsely accused of “conspiring to undermine Algerian interests.”
