CHAN 2023: the Moroccan team did not take off for Algeria
The players of the Moroccan football team arrive at Rabat airport on January 13, 2023. AFP - FADEL SENNA
Text by: Farid Achache Follow
2 mins
After three hours spent in the VIP lounge at Rabat-Salé airport, on Friday January 13, the Moroccan players returned home due to lack of take-off authorization from the Algerian authorities.
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The Moroccan selection, supposed to take part in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) of football, was Friday January 13 in the morning at the airport of Rabat-Salé to go to Algeria.
A Royal Air Maroc (RAM) plane was on the tarmac.
The Moroccan team leaves the airport for lack of take-off authorization
The Atlas Lions were waiting for the green light from Algiers for takeoff.
Indeed, on September 22, 2021, Algeria closed its airspace to all Moroccan civil and military aircraft after breaking diplomatic relations with Rabat.
This problem of authorization to fly over Algerian airspace has been, for several days, the explanation put forward by the Moroccan Federation to justify the uncertainty surrounding the participation of the national team A'.
In the absence of a positive signal from Algiers, around 12:30 p.m. local time, the Moroccan team left the airport.
“
The players have been preparing for months, we have put everything in place to prepare them as well as possible, but in the absence of a favorable response from the Algerian authorities, we will not be able to play in the CHAN.
These young people wanted to take part in the competition and demonstrate, too, their level of play with the desire to win this competition like the previous
ones”, declared Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the FRMF, at the exit of the airport.
Coming to Rabat to attend the draw for the Club World Cup, the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, and that of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, met the players waiting at the airport.
Thursday evening, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Moroccan team would take part in CHAN in Algeria despite a press release published earlier in the day on the website of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
"
The Moroccan football selection is unable to travel to Constantine
(Algeria)
insofar as the final authorization of its Royal Air Maroc
(RAM) flight,
official carrier of the Moroccan football selections, from Rabat to Constantine, has not been confirmed
,” read the text.
At no time in its communication, the FRMF does not speak of package.
It remains to be seen how the Confederation of African Football
will react to this new episode .
.
The CHAN, reserved for players competing in the national championships, is held from January 13 to February 4 in Algeria.
The Atlas Lions have won the last two editions, in 2021 and 2018.
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Soccer
Morocco
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