Morocco threatens to skip African soccer tournament
After its sensational World Cup performance, Morocco might boycott the African Nations Championship next month because of a diplomatic dispute
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.After its sensational World Cup performance, Morocco's national soccer team might boycott the African Nations Championship next month because of a diplomatic dispute with tournament host Algeria.
The Moroccan Football Federation said its team will only compete if there is a direct flight from the Moroccan capital Rabat to the Algerian city of Constantine, where Morocco's games are scheduled to be played.
Moroccan military and commercial aircraft have been barred from Algerian airspace since the two neighbors severed diplomatic ties last year. Their dispute is linked to multiple issues, including the contested Western Sahara, a territory that Morocco annexed in 1975 and that Algeria-backed Sahrawis have long sought independence for.
The Moroccan federation said in a statement Tuesday that it had written to the African Union about procedures for African sports events and “facilitating the conditions of the participating teams.”
In its letter to the AU, the Moroccan federation demanded that the national team be able to fly directly to Constantine on a private aircraft of Royal Air Maroc, the official carrier of Morocco's national teams.
Algeria's government has not responded publicly to the demand.
The African Nations Championship involves players for local clubs and runs Jan. 13 to Feb. 4. Morocco is scheduled to play against Sudan, Madagascar, and Ghana in the group phase.
Morocco became the first African or Arab nation to reach the semifinals of the World Cup in this year's tournament in Qatar.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.