Last Update: December 29, 2022, 17:47 IST
Morocco became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 (AP Image)
The Moroccan Football Federation said its team would only compete if there was a direct flight from Rabat to the Algerian city of Constantine, where Atlas Lions games are to be played because Moroccan military and commercial aircraft are banned from Algerian airspace. The two neighbors broke off diplomatic relations last year
after it was sensational world Cup appearances, a diplomatic dispute with tournament hosts Algeria could lead to the Moroccan national football team boycotting next month’s African Nations Championship.
The Moroccan football federation said its teams would only compete if there were direct flights from the Moroccan capital Rabat to the Algerian city of Constantine, where Moroccan games are to be played.
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Moroccan military and commercial aircraft have been barred from Algerian airspace since the two neighbors broke off diplomatic ties last year. Their spat is linked to a number of issues, including the disputed Western Sahara, a region that was annexed by Morocco in 1975 and Algerian-backed Sahrawis have long sought independence.
The Moroccan federation said in a statement on Tuesday that it had written to the African Union regarding procedures for African sporting events and “facilitating the conditions of the participating teams”.
In its letter to the AU, the Moroccan federation demanded that the national team be able to fly directly to Constantine on a private plane from Royal Air Maroc, the official carrier of Moroccan national teams.
The government of Algeria has not publicly responded to the demand.
The African Nations Championship features players from local clubs and will run from January 13 to February 4. Morocco will play against Sudan, Madagascar and Ghana in the group stage.
Morocco became the first African or Arab nation to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup at this year’s tournament in Qatar.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)