BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

The Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS has rejected the two appeals filed by Algeria’s club, Union Sportive de la Médina d’Alger, known as USM Alger against Morocco’s Renaissance Sportive de Berkane.

This is the offshoot of a controversial CAF Confederation Cup semi-final duels last year.

Renaissance Sportive de Berkane advanced to the final match without having to kick the ball as CAF ruled that the Algerian club forfeited the two-legged matches.

Algeria had confiscated the shirts of the Moroccan side for having a map on the attire.

The map features the full land mass of Morocco, including the Western Sahara which is being disputed by Algeria’s allies, Sahrawi.

CAF approved the shirts from the onset of the season. The Moroccan team could not enter Algeria until the intervention of the CAF. Even, then, the Algerian did not allow the first leg match to hold on account of the shirts.

They later did not show up for the return leg, even though they arrived in Morocco, prompting CAF to also award the return leg to  Renaissance Sportive de Berkane.

The Algerians lodged an appeal to CAS asking that the match forfeiture be upturned and matches replayed.

The Algerian Football Federation, FAF also asked for an end to the authorization of the Berkane jersey.

Both appeals were rejected. CAS ruled that the use of the controversial jersey was within the law.

TAS rejected USMA’s request and confirmed the result of the match. 

Related: https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/2025/02/25/another-morocco-algeria-fiasco-looms-in-caf-cup/

   Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Like last season, Morocco’s Renaissance Sportive de Berkane could find itself facing an Algerian club in the semi-final of the CAF Cup.

The draw for the Confederation Cup placed Renaissance Sportive de Berkane against the Ivorians of ASEC Mimosas.

In case of qualification, the Moroccans will face the winners of the Algerian derby between CS Constantine and USM Alger.

It is therefore possible to relive a remake of the episode which marked the last edition of the same competition and at the same semi-final stage in which the Algerian team, USM Alger was disqualified for not allowing their two-legged match to hold on account of the inscription of Moroccan map on Berkane’s shirts.

The shirt at the centre of the controversy

CAF ruled that the shirt, which Berkane had worn throughout the series, did not infringe any rule. The Algerian federation appealed the ruling but lost at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

A repeat of the scenario looms large.

 Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Algerian football legend Rabah Madjer has described the upcoming CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final clash between USM Alger and CS Constantine as a highly unpredictable encounter.

Speaking following Thursday’s draw in the studios of beIN Sports, Madjer highlighted the unique challenge posed by the all-Algerian matchup, noting that both teams are familiar with each other’s tactics and style, having competed against each other in the domestic league.

“The match will be beyond expectations because each team is an open book to the other, and both know all the information about the competitor, especially since they play in the local league,” Madjer said.

The quarter-final draw for the CAF Confederation Cup, held in Doha on Thursday, also saw defending champions Zamalek of Egypt paired against South African debutants Stellenbosch, while last season’s runners-up, Morocco’s RS Berkane, will face Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas.

The final quarter-final tie will see Egyptian club Al Masry take on Tanzania’s Simba SC in a bid for a place in the last four.

Quarter-Final Fixtures:

• Stellenbosch (South Africa) vs. Zamalek (Egypt)
• ASEC Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire) vs. RS Berkane (Morocco)
• Simba SC (Tanzania) vs. Al Masry (Egypt)
• CS Constantine (Algeria) vs. USM Alger (Algeria)

The quarter-final matches will be played over two legs, scheduled for April 2 and April 9. The first leg will take place at the home ground of the team listed first in the draw.

Path to the Semi-Finals

The winner of the ASEC vs. RS Berkane clash will face the victor of the all-Algerian showdown between USM Alger and CS Constantine in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, the winner of the Stellenbosch vs. Zamalek tie will meet the winner of the Al Masry vs. Simba encounter in the last four.

Madjer also weighed in on the overall competition, tipping last season’s finalists, Zamalek and RS Berkane, as the teams most likely to go the distance.

“The confrontations will be difficult by all standards for all teams, but Zamalek and Renaissance Berkane of Morocco, the two finalists of the last edition, are the candidates to go far,” he stated.

Egyptian teams have faced tough challenges against South African opposition in recent years, adding further intrigue to Zamalek’s quarter-final matchup against Stellenbosch.

With the competition heating up, the Confederation Cup knockout rounds promise to deliver high-intensity football as the continent’s top clubs battle for continental supremacy.

-CAF

  Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H