African Nations Championship (CHAN) champions Morocco has threatened to forfeit their participation at the 2023 showpiece in Algeria.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) sent a letter to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) this week to make their stance clear as the political issues between the two nations persist.
Moroccan Airlines are prohibited from traveling directly to Algeria due to a long-standing feud between the two North African states.
“The Board of Directors of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) decided unanimously not to participate in the 2023 African Nations Championship (CHAN), scheduled from January 13 to February 4 in Algeria, if the travel of the national team is not provided via a special flight of Royal Air Morocco (RAM), official carrier, from Rabat to Constantine, [the] host city of the games of the national eleven,” read part of the letter.
It was alleged that the Atlas Lions, who won the previous edition at Cameroon 2020 would send a U23 squad to represent them after their historic FIFA World Cup semi-final run over the last month but it’s been ruled out by President Fouzi Lekjaa.
As things stand, the Moroccan national team will have to travel via France before changing over to a connecting flight to reach Algeria via AirFrance.
The tournament kicks off on 13 January with hosts Algeria taking on Libya at the newly constructed Nelson Mandela National Stadium in Algiers.
