Morocco Football Federation asks for a direct flight from Rabat to the Algerian city of Constantine

Two-time champions threaten boycott of games

By Rasheed Adewuyi 

After a brilliant performance at the recently concluded 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Morocco is threatening to boycott the African Nations Championship in Algeria next month.

In a letter to the African Union, the Moroccon Football Federation says the Atlas Lions will only participate in the competition if there’s a direct flight from Rabat to the Algerian city of Constantine, where Morocco is scheduled to play its matches.

Reports say Moroccan military and commercial aircraft have been banned from Algeria airspace.

According to African News, both countries are involved in a diplomatic dispute over the western Sahara; a territory Morocco annexed in 1975 and in which Algeria-backed Sahraawis have long asked to be independent.

The Sahrawi, or Saharawi people, are an ethnic group and nation native to the western part of the Sahara desert, which includes Western Sahara, southern Morocco, much of Mauritania, and along the southwestern border of Algeria. They are of mixed Berber, Arab, and Black African descent.

As of filling this report, the Algerian government has not responded to the Moroccon direct access.

The African Nations Championship, which kicks off on January 13 and ends on February 4, is organized for home-based African players.

Morocco is scheduled to play against Sudan, Madagascar, and Ghana in the group stage.