Moroccan Media’s Deception: Fabricating Triumphs While Dodging the Core Issue in the USM Algiers vs. RS Berkane Case -Karim Kandouli 

Written by: Karim Kandouli 

Translated with adaptation by: Dr. Hana Saada

How Rabat’s Propaganda Machine Obscures the Real Legal Battle Over the Illegal Map in African Football

Algiers, Algeria | February 27th, 2025 — The Moroccan media apparatus, often dubbed the mouthpiece of the Makhzen, continues its well-documented tradition of fabricating triumphs while deliberately evading the fundamental legal issue at the heart of the controversy between USM Algiers and RS Berkane. In a meticulously orchestrated disinformation campaign, Moroccan outlets have fixated on the supposed impossibility of replaying a match—a claim that is legally and logically irrelevant—while sidestepping the true crux of Algeria’s protest: the unlawful inclusion of a politically charged map on RS Berkane’s jersey, which contravenes international legal standards and the regulations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

 

To set the record straight, the notion of replaying the match is a red herring. Two principal reasons render this argument absurd:

First, the match in question took place over a year ago, and football has moved forward into a new season, now at the quarterfinal stage. Demanding a replay at this juncture is not only unprecedented but also legally unsound.

Second, RS Berkane was never crowned champion of the tournament in question, making the idea of “stripping” them of a title non-existent. The actual victors were Egypt’s Zamalek SC, and thus, the argument of nullifying a triumph that never existed collapses under its own weight. Moroccan football did not achieve anything in this case, and RS Berkane’s premature exit from last season’s competition is a testament to that.

However, Moroccan media conveniently ignores the indisputable legal infraction: the use of a politically loaded map that includes disputed territories, an explicit violation of international law as recognized by the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the International Court of Justice, and multiple global organizations.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has already issued its ruling, mandating the removal of the offending map on the grounds that it violates international principles and CAF’s own statutes, which prohibit the display of political symbols in football. This is not a matter of interpretation or opinion; it is a legally binding decision by the highest judicial authority in sports, whose verdicts must be implemented without question.

Should CAF and RS Berkane fail to adhere to CAS’s ruling and persist in using the unlawful map that incorporates Western Sahara, they will face severe consequences, including potential disqualification from continental competitions.

Yet, one cannot help but imagine an alternative scenario: what if CAS had ruled in favor of RS Berkane, permitting them to continue brandishing the illicit map? Moroccan media would have erupted in a frenzied celebration, declaring an unprecedented political and diplomatic victory. Figures such as the notoriously corrupt Fouzi Lekjaa and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita would have paraded this ruling as global recognition of their territorial claims, turning the sports tribunal’s headquarters into a symbol of their political ambitions.

Instead, reality has shattered these delusions. The fantasy of rewriting international law through football has crumbled. The days of toying with colored pencils to redraw borders are over. Morocco must now confront the real world, where Algeria’s steadfast position prevails: sovereignty is non-negotiable, and justice is not subject to distortion by propaganda.

 

 

 

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