Africa/Football/Scandal: Algerian Authorities Blamed for Absence of VAR in USM Alger- Rivers United Match

Voices are rising at the FIFA, urging the Confederation of African Football to take action against the Algerian authorities for using procrastination tactics to prevent the deployment of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at a CAF quarter finals game played lately in Algiers between “USM Alger” and “Rivers United” of Nigeria.
The African football governing body said the VAR equipment was seized by the Algerian authorities at the entry Port in Oran for five days.
“The VAR equipment was only released on Sunday at 19h30 making it impossible to drive the 400km distance between Oran and Algiers and make it on time for the match”, said the CAF in a press release.
The absence of video technology in the match makes on-field referees unable to review and correct decisions, ensuring fairness of the game which was tainted by accusations of cheating and foul play.
Defending champions of CAF Confederation Cup, USM Alger, secured their spot in the semi-finals of the competition on Sunday after defeating Rivers United 2-0 in the second leg of the quarter-finals.
USM Alger will face Moroccan club Berkane in the semi-finals later on this month. The Algerian authorities will, certainly, again use its provocative tactics and CAF should show firmness against violations of its regulations.