The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has awarded a 3-0 win to Moroccan club Renaissance Sportive de Berkane (RS Berkane) over hosts USM Alger (USMA) in the first leg of their African Confederation Cup semifinal.

A statement from CAF said its Interclub Competitions Committee and Management of the Club Licensing System will also ‘‘submit the case to the Disciplinary Board for possible additional sanctions.’’

The second leg will however go ahead at the Berkane Municipal Stadium on 28, April 2024 as scheduled.

The first leg could not be played after Moroccan side RS Berkane refused to leave the changing rooms for the kick off. This was because Algerian custom authorities had confiscated their kits on their arrival two days earlier.

Berkane have worn the motif all season without any sanctions from CAF in their Confederation Cup campaign.

Berkane’s shirt, which displays a small map of Morocco on the chest area, including the disputed territory of Western Sahara, was deemed to have political connotations by Algerian custom. Feeling provoked by it, the Algerian customs seized the kits on arrival.

RS Berkane's jersey displaying the disputed region in the chest area

The disputed territory on the northwest coast of Africa has been the center of frosty relations between the North African neighbors. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); while Morocco occupy and control the remaining 80% having annexed the territory after Spain left in 1975.

Last weekend’s incident was the latest occurrence of a diplomatic feud spilling over into the sporting arena.

A year ago, Morocco withdrew from the African Nations Championship tournament in Algeria when the hosts denied them direct entry by chartered flight.

Since August 2021, Moroccan aircrafts have not been able to enter Algerian airspace following a ban. The border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed.