‘Football couldn’t get rid of hate’; Moroccan football team without playing on Algerian soil
Rabat: The Algeria-Morocco conflict is getting messy again. Al Jazeera has reported that the disputes between the non-aligned North African countries Algeria and Morocco are becoming more intense.
Morocco’s withdrawal from the African Nations Championship in Algeria has led to great criticism.
Hours before the match on January 13, the Moroccan team announced that they would not be competing.
They are not allowed to fly directly from the Moroccan capital Rabat to the Algerian city of Constantine. The Moroccan team refused to play in Algeria saying that they were not interested in traveling by air route other than direct.
The country banned Moroccan flights from entering Algerian airspace in 2021 in protest at what Morocco accused Algeria of “conspiring” and “organizing atrocities” against it.
After a forest fire broke out in Algeria’s Kabyle province, Algeria blamed some Moroccan-backed terrorist groups for the disaster. In response, Morocco claimed that Algeria was “organizing atrocities” against them.
Many Algerian citizens protested against Morocco’s withdrawal from the competition.
Algeria has criticized Morocco’s decision to withdraw from the competition as a setback to its efforts to open up its airspace, using the media reception Morocco received after the World Cup.
In addition, the team that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup received the support of the entire African continent. This includes the support of Algerian citizens. There are also reports that this decision to withdraw from Morocco’s unilateral competition will have a negative impact on the friendly atmosphere between the two countries.
At the opening ceremony of the tournament in Algeria, Nelson Mandela’s grandson criticized Morocco’s invasion of the Western Saharan region. He also praised Algeria for helping some West Saharan groups protesting their independence declaration against Morocco. This caused huge protests in Morocco.
The issues between Algeria and Morocco have long been disputed. The border issues have turned into major conflicts between the two countries.
Content Highlights:’Football couldn’t get rid of hate’; Moroccan football team not playing on Algeria