Morocco, Algeria shirt dispute leads to second CAF Cup match cancellation

For the second straight week, an African Confederation Cup match between Renaissance Berkane and Algerian side USM Alger was cancelled in a dispute over a map on the Moroccan team's shirts.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded Berkane a 3-0 victory in the first leg of their semi-final, cancelled last Sunday when the Moroccan club refused to take the field after Algerian officials confiscated their shirts.

On Sunday in Berkane, only the home players took the field and they saluted their fans as the stadium announcer told the crowd the match had been cancelled.

Moroccan television reported that the USM team left the stadium just before the scheduled 1900 GMT kickoff.

The row began when the Moroccan squad arrived in Algeria last week ahead of the first-leg tie.

Customs officers confiscated Berkane's shirts on the grounds that they carried a map of Morocco that included the disputed Western Sahara.

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Shortly before the first leg kick-off, USM Alger sporting director Toufik Korichi told Algerian radio that the match would not be played because Berkane refused to take to the pitch in any other shirts

On Saturday, business was brisk in the official shop selling Berkane shirts.

(AFP)

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