The highly anticipated first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final between RS Berkane and USM Alger took an expected turn due to the Algerian administration’s obstinance.
The match was postponed after the Moroccan team, Renaissance de Berkane, refused to play without receiving their official team jerseys, which had been confiscated by Algerian customs at the airport because they featured the map of Morocco, prompting RS Berkane to stand firm in their insistence on playing only with their approved official kit.
Despite intervention from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to have the shirts returned, they were not delivered in time for the match. Instead, the Algerian Football Association procured alternative shirts for the Moroccan team. However, both CAF and RS Berkane rejected this solution, insisting on respecting the decision of the African Confederation and not depriving RS Berkane of their official jerseys, which they had worn throughout the competition without any issues.
As a result, USM Alger took the field alone at the scheduled match time, acknowledging their fans and posing with the Algerian flag.
Algerian medias reported that the Moroccan team had left the Stade du 5 Juillet in Algiers and headed to the airport to depart Algeria, additionally, images from Bein Sports depicted the team’s staff leaving the stadium. This development underscores the profound impact of the jersey confiscation on the team.
