HIBAPRESS – Sports
Political tension has resurfaced in the Maghreb sports scene after the Algerian Football Federation sparked widespread resentment by publishing a map of Africa that omits the southern provinces of the Kingdom of Morocco in an official report related to preparations for the 2025 African Cup of Nations.
This behavior comes at a time when Algeria has not hidden, according to observers, its continued promotion of separatist theses, despite the advanced international stance that was translated through the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, which considered the initiative of self-government under Moroccan sovereignty the realistic and only solution to the artificial conflict over the Sahara. Observers believe that this step is a clear disregard for recent diplomatic shifts, including the official announcement issued by Paris, which in turn formed a political turning point that confused Algeria's calculations after the announcement of Ferhat Mehenni's independence of the Kabyle Republic. The report, entitled "Atmosphere of the Greens joining the preparatory camp for the 2025 African Cup of Nations", was supposed to focus on the technical and artistic aspects and raise the morale of the players before the continental event. However, the inclusion of a map of Morocco with missing parts turned the content from sports material into a controversial political message, which observers considered hostile behavior that serves neither sports nor the atmosphere of fair competition. Observers warned that such actions may contribute to raising the level of tension between the fans, at a time when hopes were pinned on organizing the 2025 African Cup of Nations in a fraternal atmosphere, similar to that which characterized the Arab Cup in Qatar, where the sporting spirit prevailed between the Moroccan and Algerian fans.
