African football club awarded 3-0 victory despite refusing to play

Moroccan football club Renaissance Berkane were given a 3-0 victory over USM Alger in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup semi final - despite refusing to field a team for the fixture.

Their kits were confiscated by Algerian customs officials upon their arrival in the country for the game. The kits featured an extended map of Morocco, which were deemed as politically provocative by Algerian officials - as such, they were seized. They have been using these kits all season in the CAF Confederation Cup - they have also donned a kit with a similar design in the past.

When the game was due to be played on Sunday, April 21, USM Alger took to the field as planned - Berkane’s players, however, did not. As such, the game was called off. As things stand, the second leg of the tie will go ahead as planned on April 28, with Berkane maintaining a 3-0 advantage on aggregate.

Whichever of the two teams progresses will take on either Dreams or Zamalek in the final of the competition. The first leg between the two aforementioned teams resulted in a 0-0 draw - meaning that particular tie is still wide open.

The Confederation of African Football's interclub competitions committee, when called upon to make a decision, awarded Berkane a 3-0 win by default. Additionally, the case will be submitted to a disciplinary board, who will review it and decide whether to put further sanctions in place or not.

There are international tensions between Algeria and Morocco at present, with Algeria cutting all diplomatic ties between the two countries back in 2021. In last year’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament, hosted in Algeria, Morocco pulled out when they were denied permission to fly directly from capital city Rabat. Since 1991, the two countries have been under a truce, thanks to the United Nations.