The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will hold a video conference on Friday, June 21, with several agenda items, including the presence of its president, South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe.
One of the main topics concerns the dispute between USM Alger (Algeria) and RS Berkane (Morocco), which rocked the African football world between April and May.
Sources close to CAF indicate that sanctions could be imposed on USM Alger and the Algerian Football Federation (FAF). CAF appears ready to take action against Algeria, showing clear bias in this matter.
The controversy erupted when RS Berkane was scheduled to face USM Alger in the Confederation Cup semi-final, but the matches on April 21 and 28, 2024, were canceled. The Moroccan club insisted on playing with a jersey featuring a map of Morocco including Western Sahara, a political gesture as the UN does not recognize this territory as Moroccan.
Despite violating CAF and FIFA regulations, CAF validated the jersey and awarded the victory to the Moroccan club, thus sanctioning USM Alger. This decision underscores the influence of Fouzi Lekjaa within CAF, casting doubt on Patrice Motsepe’s leadership.
The meeting will also address the organization of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) in Morocco. CAF will decide whether the competition will take place in summer 2025 or be postponed to winter 2026, due to the new Club World Cup scheduled for summer 2025. A postponement could disrupt the qualifying schedule.
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