CHAN
Morocco’s non-participation in CHAN throws spanner in the works; sparks football legal issues
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The non-participation of Morocco in the on-going African Nations Championship in Algeria may have caused situations possibly unforeseen by the current regulations governing the competition.
Chapter 27 of the regulations which deals with ‘withdrawals, match forfeiture and refusal to play’ is silent on a situation whereby a host made it impossible for a visiting team to enter its territory, especially on political ground.
The Chapter 27 and its various articles 56 to 68 did not address the Morocco-Algeria issue.
But article 69 offers a possible way out stating that “the Organising Committee shall deal with cases of force majeure likely raised.”
It is this option that CAF has leaned on when the Organizing Commission met on Monday in Algiers in accordance with the rules of the competition.
First it decided on Group C where Morocco would have featured and played against Sudan last Sunday.
Following the no-show by Morocco, the group will now go ahead with three teams. Consequently, two of the teams will make it to the knockout stage.
This is well captured in the Articles 67 and 68. Withdrawal of teams from the competition has a range of punishments from forfeiture of entry fees to fines ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 and also being barred from the next edition.
But since the non-participation of Morocco is not just hinged on the team making a unilateral abstention, the matter became complex.
The CHAN Organizing Committee has also referred the matter to the competent CAF judicial body.
Meanwhile, according to an English news outlet in Rabat, the Morocco World News, has reported that the country’s lawyers’ club has decided to petition FIFA Disciplinary Committee over racist remarks that targeted Morocco and its citizens during last Friday’s CHAN opening ceremony.
Ghana and Nigeria are paired together for the third time in the qualifying series for the African Nations Championship. They had met in the 2009 and the 2022 series. The aggregate results were in Ghana’s favour.
First in the 2009 qualifiers, Nigeria squandered a 2-0 first-half lead in Accra and lost 3-2. But going into the return leg played in Calabar, they could not score a goal that could have seen them through on away goal rule as they ended the match 0-0.
In the last edition, Nigeria for the 2023 edition, Nigeria lost 2-0 in Accra but levelled up in Abuja after a late 2-0 win. But in the eventual penalty shoot-out, the Nigerian team lost 5-4.
Will they overcome Ghana this time?
There will be no qualifying series for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in North Africa. This is sequel to the withdrawal of Algeria and Egypt.
With the region entitled to three teams, the remaining three – Morocco, Tunisia and Libya qualify automatically.
The age-long rivalry has again been rekindled as the draw for the 2025 African Nations Championship has pitched Ghana and Nigeria together.
Both teams have a rivalry that dates back to 1951 and will have a confrontation that determines which country will qualify for the tournament which is opened only to domestic players.
It is also a measure of the relative strength of the domestic leagues of the countries. Ghana and Nigeria will play just in the second round of the West Africa Zone B qualifier while Togo and Benin will the first round and the winner play against Niger Republic.
The rivalry of Nigeria and Ghana has gone beyond sports, especially in football, It extends to the culinary industry as each claims to be better in the cooking of Jollof rice, hence the ‘Jollof Rice’ controversy.
In another West Africa Zone B qualifiers, Cote d’Ivoire will face Burkina Faso. The first round of qualifiers will be played on the weekend of 25 – 27 October and 01 – 03 November 2024, with the second round confirmed for 20 – 22 December and 27 – 29 December 2024.
Three nations qualify for the tournament from each zone except the East, where one country qualifies with co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Finals to be played from Feb 1-28, 2025 in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala.
North Region
Libya, Morocco and Tunisia qualify automatically
West A region
First Round
- Sierra Leone v Liberia
Second Round
- Sierra Leone or Liberia v Senegal (holders)
Mauritania v Mali
Guinea v Guinea-Bissau
West B region
First Round
Togo v Benin
Second Round
Togo or Benin v Niger
Ivory Coast v Burkina Faso
Ghana v Nigeria
Central region
Second Round
Equatorial Guinea v Congo Brazzaville
Central African Republic v Cameroon
Chad v Democratic Republic of Congo
East region
First Round
Burundi v Somalia
Ethiopia v Eritrea
Sudan v Tanzania (co-hosts)
South Sudan v Kenya (co-hosts)
Djibouti v Rwanda
Second Round
Burundi or Somalia v Uganda (co-hosts)
Ethiopia or Eritrea v Sudan or Tanzania
South Sudan or Kenya v Djibouti or Rwanda
South region
First Round
Zimbabwe v Eswatini
Lesotho v Namibia
Second Round
Zimbabwe or Eswatini v Madagascar
Lesotho or Namibia v Angola
Mozambique v Zambia
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