Algeria’s self-defeating decisions, Morocco-phobia spill over to sports
Blinded by hostility to Morocco, Algeria’s military rulers and their civilian puppets have taken a series of unilateral decisions from closing borders to cutting diplomatic ties with Rabat and halting gas supplies. But, these measures- intended to hurt Morocco- have backfired at Algiers with a spill over to sports as Algeria undermines by itself its own chances in organizing CAN 2025 after it closed its airspace to Morocco.
Both Morocco and Algeria are bidding for the 2025 Cup of Nations. But Algeria has shot itself in the feet after it insisted in not allowing a RAM direct flight from Rabat to Constantine for a Moroccan national team made up of U23 to take part in CHAN tournament for local players.
On Jan. 13, the day of CHAN kick off, head of Morocco’s Royal Football Federation FRMF received FIFA and CAF chiefs at Rabat’s airport where Moroccan players and the RAM aircraft that was supposed to carry them to Algiers were left waiting without a permission to fly to Algiers.
FIFA and CAF officials made the contrast on their arrival unhindered from Algiers to Rabat, where they took part in the draw for the FIFA Clubs World Cup due to be hosted in Morocco.
Sports commentators have already reached the conclusion that Algeria shot self in the feet eliminating its chances in hosting the CAF Cup of Nations due to its closed airspace to Moroccans and also its bad organization of CHAN in which a call for taking up arms against Morocco was made.
At the opening of CHAN, Algeria offered the podium to one of the grandsons of Nelson Mandela who engaged in a diatribe against Morocco while rehashing pro-separatist slogans.
What added insult to injury was the blatant racism of tens of thousands of brain-washed Algerians who chanted at the opening “give them Bananas Moroccans are animals,” in an abject expression of Morocco-phobia that shows the scale of the regime’s propaganda.
FRMF condemned the political speech by Mandela’s grandson and the racist chants by Algerian fans while urging action from CAF which distanced itself from the opening of CHAN saying that it is a politically neutral organization and vowing to investigate the incident.
With hindsight, Morocco did well in boycotting a sporting event to which it did not have direct access in the first place and which was instrumentalized by a military junta to divert attention of its disenchanted youth by stoking hate speech against Morocco.
Few months ago, Moroccan underaged players were attacked on the pitch by adult fans in an Arab championship. Prior to that, Moroccan athletes taking part in Mediterranean games received an ill-treatment unworthy of sportsmanship and neighborliness.
