15 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has condemned perceived “malicious” acts and “abject manoeuvres” during the opening of the African Nations Football Championship in Algeria on Friday after the grandson of South African leader Nelson Mandela delivered a speech in favor of the independence of Western Sahara, which the Alaouite kingdom considers to be under its sovereignty.
This same Sunday, on his Instagram account, Zwelivelile Mandela has defended his inaugural speech and assured that “he remains, unequivocally, with the brothers and sisters of Western Sahara and Palestine.”
The Moroccan Federation has declared itself “outraged” by the “provocative and surreal speech”, which has “violated the rules of the organization of football events under the auspices of the African Football Confederation”, reports the official Moroccan news agency MAP.
Likewise, the federation has rejected “racist chants” from the fans “against the Moroccan people” during the opening ceremony of the competition in Algeria, a country that supports the Saharawi cause.
The Moroccan under-23 team, chosen to participate in the event, reserved for players who participate in local leagues on the continent, will finally not play this competition after denouncing that it has not received entry authorization after Morocco and Algeria declared their relations broken diplomatic in 2021.
