How a Jersey Divided Two African Football Clubs

On April 21, the first leg of an anticipated semifinal match between USM Alger and RS Berkane was canceled. This was at the CAF Confederation Cup. On arriving in Algeria, the Moroccan side RS Berkane had their jerseys seized by customs officers because it bore a map of Morocco that included a controversial Western Sahara region. RS Berkane players refused to play in a different jersey and the match was canceled.

A CAF committee punished USM Alger with a 3-0 defeat, and a different committee on April 25 dismissed an appeal against the verdict.

RS Berkane have used the same jersey throughout this season’s competition, as well as a similar design in previous continental campaigns, and CAF has upheld their right to wear it in Algiers after an ad hoc meeting of its inter-clubs committee.

The second leg on Sunday met a similar end: RS Berkane, playing at home, insisted on wearing the controversial kit, and this time it was USM Algers players who refused to take the field. The match was canceled and CAF penalized USM Algers, the current title holder, with a 3-0 loss.

Why the fuss over a shirt? 

RS Berkane’s jersey bears a map that includes a Western Sahara area whose ownership has been contested between Morocco and the Sahrawi people who are represented by  Algeria-backed Polisario Front. USM Alger sees the RS Berkane jersey as an act of provocation.

The controversial region, though sparsely populated, is rich with phosphate reserves and fishing grounds. Morocco laid claim to the region in 1957 when it was still under Spanish colonial rule, and then annexed it in 1975.

The conflict which began in 1975,fter the Polisario declared a war for independence ended in 1991 with a UN-brokered truce, but 2020 saw a return to armed conflict. In 2021, Algeria cut off diplomatic ties with Morocco, and last year when the former hosted the African Nations Championship, the latter had to withdraw from the tournament after being denied permission to fly directly from the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

The political dispute has played out not only in football. Last week, Algeria withdrew from the Arab Youth Handball Championship held in Morocco over the host’s jersey. 

What now? 

RS Berkane, who have won the trophy twice, will slug it out in a two-legged final with Egypt’s Zamalek, scheduled respectively for May 12 and 19.

The Algerian Football Federation and USM Alger could face additional disciplinary action. CAF’s regulations state that any team which withdraws from the competition after the quarterfinal will face a fine of $50,000 and will be banned from two editions of CAF tournaments.

Takeaway

The controversy between the two football clubs raises the question of whether or not CAF has done enough to prevent political affairs from disrupting football competitions. It is a problem that the football body may consider seriously ahead of next year’s African Cup of Nations which takes place in Morocco.