CHAN: Algeria Invokes Sovereignty in Response to Morocco’s Request

Morocco requested that its team fly directly to the host nation to compete in the African Football Championship (CHAN) 2023, and Algeria’s football organization has stated that it will communicate its decision “through official channels.”

Algeria will host this year’s CHAN from January 13 to February 4.

Speaking on Tuesday, Sebgag reminded that, in response to Morocco’s request, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) “seized” the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) last week.

“The FAF will reply to the CAF through official channels. He made an allusion to Algeria’s rejection of the Moroccan request and stated that the country’s laws and sovereignty came first.

In an earlier letter to Algerian authorities and CAF, Morocco’s football federation (FRMF) emphasized that the national team will only compete in CHAN if Algeria’s government permits a direct aircraft to transport them from Rabat to Constantine.

If its plea is not granted, the North African nation has stated that it will boycott the competition.

Sebgag’s statement, in the words of Algerian media source TSA, “signifies Algeria’s unwillingness to permit a direct Royal Air Maroc service between Rabat and Constantine.”

Morocco’s appeal was echoed by the head of the FRMF, Fouzi Lekjaa, who also emphasized that Algeria “shall” take all necessary steps to make it easier for nations to participate in the competition.

Algeria has already hinted that it won’t allow Morocco’s proposal to open the restricted airspace between the two nations without outright rejecting it.

Rachid Oukali, the chairman of the organizing committee for the CHAN, stated last week that his nation is “not responsible for assuring the availability of a direct path for the participating teams.”

The official from Algeria also stated that “most of the African nations that will visit Algeria will make stopovers.”
The head of the Moroccan football association emphasized in reaction to Oukali’s comments that Morocco had not “asked Algeria to supply us with a private airplane or anything.”

Lekjaa pointed out that Morocco’s proposal just aimed to emphasize the significance of granting Royal Air Maroc—the country’s official airline—permission to fly the national team straight to the host nation.

Algeria closed its airspace with Morocco in 2021 after cutting diplomatic relations with the North African kingdom, which it falsely accused of “conspiring to undermine Algerian interests.”