Morocco conditions direct flight to participate in U23 cup of nations in Algeria

Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF) told the Confederation of African Football that the national team could boycott the Africa U23 Cup of Nations if the national team is not allowed to have a direct flight to Algeria.

Algeria has closed its airspace to all Moroccan flights adding to borders which it has kept closed since 1994.

Head of the FRMF has asked the Confederation of African Football that a direct flight from Rabat to Constantine is a sine qua non for Morocco’s participation in the tournament.

Morocco has other unmentioned reasons to toughen its stand and demand more security guarantees after its U17 team was attacked on the pitch by fans who invaded the stadium to attack Moroccan under age players at an Arab championship few months ago.

During the Mediterranean games, Moroccan athletes had to make stopovers in Tunis adding to their journey instead of making a direct flight to save time and effort but mostly to preserve their pride in taking their own flag carrier.

Cameroun is also considering boycotting the tournament due to lack of security guarantees for its players and fans following the heinous campaign waged by Algeria after its team was knocked down by Cameroun in World Cup qualifiers.

Algerian media and sports analysts acted as bad losers lacking sportsmanship as they indulged in conspiracy theories that verged on racism against Sub-Saharan Africans.

When Cameroun left the World Cup at the group’s stage, pro-military media Echourouk wrote “Cameroun returns to the Jungle”, a racist headline that triggered condemnations although it shows the condescending of some Algerian elites.

The bad relations Algeria has with many of its neighbors, its hostility towards Morocco and its lack of sportsmanship all converge to cast a shadow on Algeria’s bid to host the African Cup of Nations in 2025.