RS Berkane, having established a commanding lead at the top of the Moroccan league with virtually no obstacles between them and the championship, has drawn criticism from Algeria due to its club logo.
The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the approval allowing RS Berkane to play with a kit displaying an extended map of Morocco. This appeal was upheld by CAS.
The current RS Berkane logo includes the Western Sahara region within Morocco’s borders, which Algeria perceives as a political provocation. Last season, RS Berkane was set to face Algerian club USM Alger in the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals.
However, due to the controversy surrounding the issue, the matches between the two teams were called off. At the time, the CAF Disciplinary Committee ruled that Berkane should be awarded 3-0 victories in both matches by forfeit.
USM Alger, refusing to accept this decision, took the case to CAS. CAS ruled in favor of USM Alger, stating that Berkane’s kits violated CAF and FIFA regulations. Following the ruling, USM Alger released a statement declaring,
This is a well-deserved victory that enhances the team’s rights and supports the principles of sports justice.”
According to CAS, the extended map on Berkane’s kit represents “a political message, propaganda, and an assertion of a territorial claim that remains disputed and unresolved.” The decision also emphasized that CAF must adhere to and enforce its principle of political neutrality.
Despite this ruling, the outcome of the 2023-24 CAF Confederation Cup remains unchanged. Although Berkane advanced to the final, they ultimately lost to Egyptian club Zamalek.
Algeria and Morocco share a border of approximately 2,000 km, which has been a source of tension since both nations gained independence from French colonial rule. Diplomatic relations between the two countries remain strained.
Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco in 1975, but the region’s indigenous Sahrawi people, led by the Polisario Front, launched a 16-year-long insurgency. This conflict ended in 1991 with a UN-brokered ceasefire.
The expanded Moroccan map, as seen on Berkane’s kits, does not align with official UN cartography.
Similar disputes have also arisen in other sports. Last year, during the Arab Youth Handball Championship, the Algerian team withdrew from the tournament in protest after the Moroccan team wore jerseys perceived to carry political connotations.