Morocco, double reigning champion of CHAN will not defend its crown.
The diplomatic standoff between Algeria and its Moroccan neighbor moved to the sports field with the decision of the Atlas Lions to give up this African football tournament, highlighting the players of the local championships, which runs until February 4.
The Atlas Lions gave up on their participation in CHAN on January 13, because they had not received authorization from the Algerian authorities for a direct flight from Rabat to Constantine.
With a certain sense of staging, the Moroccan selection went to Rabat-Salé airport and waited in a lounge of honor for the flight authorization.
The players finally left the airport by bus, the president of the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, declaring in passing: "It is very unfortunate to deprive the Moroccan national team, which had been preparing seriously for six months to compete in CHAN and defend his title."
“Inflexible state apparatuses”
“Between Morocco and Algeria, everything is a pretext for diplomatic conflict,” recalls Pierre Vermeren, professor at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and specialist in the two countries.
"It's yet another round that is firing on all cylinders with inflexible state apparatuses that each think they are in their right."
The tension went up a notch again during the opening ceremony of the competition.
In the Nelson Mandela stadium, inaugurated on January 7 in the south-east of Algiers, the grandson of the African icon, Mandla, a supporter of the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, called for "fighting to liberate Western Sahara from oppression", calling this territory "the last colony in Africa".
Algeria's guest of honor at the stadium named after his grandfather, Mandla Mandela also added fuel to the fire by urging to 'liberate Palestine' - an open criticism of Morocco which normalized its relations with Israel two years ago.
🇿🇦 Mandla Mandela (grandson of Nelson Mandela): “Let us not forget the last colony of Africa: Western Sahara.
Let us fight to free Western Sahara from oppression.
Let us also remember Mothiba said our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestine .. Free, Free Palestine” pic.twitter.com/JcKmtjZC9p
— Algeria FC 🇩🇿⚽️ (@Algeria_FC) January 13, 2023
Furious, Morocco immediately condemned "malicious actions" and "despicable maneuvers".
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), the organizing body of the competition, announced, for its part, an investigation and recalled its status as a "politically neutral organization".
“Execrable relations from the start” because of the Sahara
In addressing the issue of Western Sahara, it must be said that Nelson Mandela's grandson has pushed where it hurts.
This former Spanish colony, which Morocco and the Polisario Front have been fighting over for decades, is considered a "non-autonomous territory" by the UN.
The Cherifian kingdom controls 80% and advocates autonomy under its sole sovereignty, while the Polisario, supported by Algeria, calls for a referendum on self-determination.
“The Sahara is still THE problem between the two countries.
It is he who gave rise to the war, he is the one who gave rise to a permanent diplomatic conflict”, explains the author of "Morocco in 100 questions" (ed. Tallandier) and "History of Algeria contemporary" (ed. New World).
“The conflict has been latent between Algeria and Morocco since 1963 and the War of the Sands.
During this war, Morocco attacked newly independent Algeria to recover Tindouf and the oases of western Algeria.
The war was short-lived, but right from the start created execrable relations between the two neighbours,” explains Pierre Vermeren.
"Since then, it's been a succession of crises and even wars."
Between 1976 and 1991, the two countries opposed each other indirectly in the Western Sahara war.
The end of the 1980s raised hopes of detente with the creation of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), a politico-economic organization comprising Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia and Mauritania.
But the conflict starts again after the attack of Marrakech of 1994, which leads to a closing of the borders between the two countries.
Algiers and Rabat sever their diplomatic relations in September 2021. The consequence of a normalization of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel obtained at the end of the mandate by American President Donald Trump in exchange for recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara western.
Since then, Algiers has closed its airspace to all Moroccan planes.
From Adidas to the World Cup in Qatar
It is therefore not surprising that the conflict also invites itself in sport and in particular football.
On September 29, 2022, a Moroccan lawyer, supported by the government, served formal notice on the German equipment manufacturer Adidas for “cultural appropriation”.
In question: the third jersey of the Algerian selection which takes up patterns inspired by zellige, a mosaic of the region.
The brand with the three stripes apologizes, advancing an inspiration of a Maghrebian heritage and not specifically Moroccan.
For its part, Algeria is not stingy with vexations.
During the World Cup in Qatar, the local media kept quiet about the historic course of the Atlas Lions.
The official news agency made no mention of it, while the general manager of public television was sacked shortly after broadcasting images of Morocco's historic qualification for the semi-finals.
However, in a report, Le Monde relativizes by recalling that far from the circles of power, the Algerians are rather happy with the course of their neighbor.
CAN-2025 in sight
This diplomatic conflict "is not specific to sport but it is emblematic", notes Pierre Vermeren who adds that in recent years, the two countries have been trying to play the soft power card.
“Morocco has reoriented its foreign policy over the past ten years.
Africa has taken on great importance in the speeches and international actions of this country”, explains the Maghreb specialist.
>> Morocco: 4th place at the 2022 World Cup for history and ambition for the future
The beautiful course of the Atlas Lions and the speeches of Walid Regragui are an illustration of this.
On many occasions, the coach recalled that his selection saw itself as the standard bearer “of Moroccans but also of the Maghreb and Africa”.
“Opposite, Algeria is betting more on bilateral relations, especially with its neighbors in the Sahel while positioning itself as a mediator in conflicts”, deciphers Pierre Vermeren.
The two countries are also candidates to host major events, including sports.
Algeria, which has just organized the Mediterranean Games in the summer of 2022, continues with CHAN.
Morocco wants to win the 2030 World Cup.
But above all, the two neighbors are aiming for the organization of CAN-2025.
"There is a visibility objective. Having a competition at home is a good opportunity", notes Pierre Vermeren.
In the context of these competing candidacies, the fight is likely to be merciless: "It's going to be a rat race to get the CAN-2025", crudely sums up Pierre Vermeren. "We can count on Morocco to capitalize on the exclusion from CHAN. The fact that the competition is being played without the current best team in Africa makes Algeria look ridiculous in the eyes of Morocco. The episode may influence the choice of the host country, but it is only a episode of a long chain of recurrent tension to appear as a leader in Africa.”
And to conclude on the perpetual tensions: As far as Western Sahara is concerned, “the situation is completely blocked, despite attempts at intervention by external powers.
Everyone is on their own track and this general crisis prohibits the construction of a united Maghreb, it weakens the region and impoverishes the peoples by preventing exchanges.
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