The African Football Confederation (CAF) launched an official investigation concerning the Algerian women's selection during the CAN currently disputed in Morocco. The body evokes “Presumed violations of CAF statutes and regulations”without specifying the exact nature. She also specified that“No additional comments will be issued as long as the procedure is underway”thus supplying the suspense around this case.
This decision comes in an extremely tense context between Algeria and Morocco, marked by crossed accusations and intense agitation on social networks. Among the litigious points, images of the press conference of the Algerian coach Farid Benstiti made a stir: the Royal Air Maroc logo, official sponsor of the competition, seemed to have been removed from the official background.
On the Algerian side, these accusations are rejected as a whole. The withdrawal of the logo, visible only on the images broadcast by Algerian public television, would constitute an offense of the strict rules of CAF framing visual identity, governed by contractual agreements with the business partners. In addition, allegations are in addition to the disappearance or concealment of logos on the team's sidelines, all vigorously disputed by the local media.
What about male CAN?
Some voices in African football denounce a possible differentiated treatment against Algeria. In 2023, the USM Algiers was notably sanctioned by CAF, before the Sports Arbitral Tribunal (CAS) canceled these measures. Which nourishes questions about the impartiality of the body.
While this controversy shakes the female CAN in Morocco, the country is also preparing to welcome the next male CAN at the end of the year. This tense situation between the two nations could come to complexify the organization and relations at the next major African football meeting. The CAF remains very discreet for the moment, but the soap is just beginning.
