A football politics dispute between Algeria and Morocco has escalated to a full appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport over a map of disputed Western Sahara territory on a team jersey.
The Algerian football federation and the USM Alger club are challenging a decision by the Confederation of African Football to allow Moroccan club RS Berkane to wear a team jersey that includes disputed territory on a map of Morocco.
The dispute has already impacted the CAF Confederation Cup, with both semifinal games between USM Alger and Berkane being awarded as 3-0 wins to Berkane after they were not played.
Berkane is now set to play in the final against Zamalek of Egypt, but the court has not indicated if the Algerian appeal will be judged before those games.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony annexed by Morocco in 1975, remains a point of contention between the two nations. The United Nations brokered a cease-fire between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front, supported by Algeria, which held until four years ago.
Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021, adding another layer of complexity to the dispute.
The laws of football prohibit any political, religious, or personal slogans on equipment, leading to the seizure of Berkane’s uniforms by Algerian authorities at the airport before the semifinal game.
The full appeal now challenges CAF, the Moroccan football federation, and Berkane, with FIFA Council member Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan federation, at the center of the controversy.