Politicizing sports, Algeria’s USMA doubles down on its hostility to Morocco’s full map
Algeria’s USMA has doubled down by refusing to play its second leg game against hosts RS Berkane as part of the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals.
USMA officials withdrew in protest over RS Berkane’s jerseys which bear a full Moroccan map, including the southern provinces.
The Algerian team have seemingly abandoned the game under pressure from a military regime that is obsessed with countering Morocco’s territorial integrity.
USMA’s political move rang an alarm bell at CAF which seems to be acting decisively by declaring RS Berkane victorious in both games, thus qualifying to play Egypt’s Zamalek in the final.
CAF is also considering sanctions that would see USMA banned from African competitions over the next two years.
Sources cited by Moroccan media mentioned sanctions against the Algerian football federation FAF, which could amount to banning all Algerian teams including the national squad from African competitions.
Politicizing sports
Algeria has spared no effort to back the Polisario’s separatist chimera in the southern provinces. Its schemes to isolate and undermine Morocco have backfired militarily, diplomatically, and economically.
After failing to undermine Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara in reality, Algeria is taking aim at maps confronting a young football team that held Algeria’s military rulers in check.
No country or football federation in Africa, including Polisario blind supporters such as South Africa or Zimbabwe, expressed support for the Algerian federation.
Both the federation and USMA leadership espoused the Algerian regime’s rhetoric in politicizing sports describing the ban of RS Berkane jerseys’s in the first leg game as a matter of “national sovereignty.”
USMA-RS Berkane full map saga shows once more to the whole world that hostility to Morocco’s territorial integrity and support for the Polisario separatists is an Algerian doctrine. For the pursuit of the Polisario’s chimera, the Algerian regime is willing to sabotage its sports, isolate itself diplomatically and sap its people’s oil and gas rent.
