Morocco announced on Thursday (January 12th) the cancellation of its participation in the African Nations Championship (CHAN), a competition for local players, due to the closure of Algerian airspace to Moroccan planes, against a backdrop of crisis between the two neighbors of the Maghreb.
“The Moroccan football team is unable to travel to Constantine [Algérie] insofar as the final authorization of his Royal Air Maroc flight [RAM]official carrier of the Moroccan football teams, from Rabat to Constantine has not been confirmed »announced the Moroccan Federation (FRMF) in a press release.
The thorny issue of Western Sahara
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), organizer of CHAN, had however informed the FRMF on December 22, 2022 that“an authorization in principle had been obtained”, according to the press release. This tournament, reserved for players competing in the national championships, will be held from January 13 to February 4 in Algeria.
24 hours before kick-off, the Moroccan Federation “Notes with regret that the obtaining of the final authorization for the RAM flight from Rabat to Constantine has unfortunately still not been confirmed by CAF”underlined the FRMF.
Algiers closed its airspace on September 22, 2021 to all Moroccan civil and military aircraft after breaking diplomatic relations with Rabat. This serious crisis is fueled by the thorny issue of Western Sahara, in a context of permanent tensions between the two enemy brothers. The Atlas Lions – one of the powerhouses of African football – have won the last two CHANs, in 2021 and 2018.