Depriving Morocco from Partaking in CHAN Harms Host Country’s Interests – Journalist

The Algerian regime’s decision to deprive the Moroccan squad from participating in the African Nations Championship is primarily detrimental to the host country’s interests, which has the obligation to ensure the competition’s success, says journalist and writer Talaâ Saoud Al Atlassi. The Algerian military regime resorts to a political decision to deprive a Maghrebi and African soccer team from taking part in an African competition, the Moroccan journalist wrote in a column published on news website Machahid 24. According to him, this deprivation harms, above all, the interests of Algeria as it is obliged to ensure the success of competitions it hosts, especially since Morocco is the double title holder of the CHAN, the revelation of the World Cup 2022 in Qatar and the symbol of Arab and African triumph at this World Cup. However, Morocco’s participation would have certainly contributed to the influence of this competition on the African and global level, he indicated, stressing that this political decision has a boomerang effect where Morocco’s forced absence has ultimately become the highlight of this edition. Additionally, the 2023 CHAN is getting littlest media coverage on all world, Arab and African levels, he maintained, adding that “CAF’s [Confederation of African Football] verdict on Algeria’s decision is awaited, as it also concerns the tendentious speech delivered at the opening ceremony of this competition by a South African speaker.” In this regard, the columnist points out that this speech is a political decision seeking to instrumentalize a sporting competition in favor of the hostile policy of the Algerian regime towards Morocco. “This speech is rather like enemy fire aimed at Morocco from a CAF-sponsered sports forum,” he further noted, urging the African confederation to “crack down on the one who allowed this speaker to pronounce this violent diatribe against Morocco.” While denouncing the exploitation of the person of Nelson Mandela in this hostility towards the Kingdom, Al Atlassi referred to the speech of this South African leader at a meeting in his country, where he praised Late HM Mohammed V’s unconditional support to the fight he led against the Apartheid regime in South Africa. This unconditional support concerned financial and logistical aid as well as training camps in Morocco; a recognition reiterated in Rabat by the late African leader who responded to a royal invitation in the company of former Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella, he recalled. “By doing so, the grandson denies his grandfather and defiles his legacy which will remain, nevertheless, preserved by history,” he said, before continuing by stressing that “history books are full of Morocco’s notable contributions and those of late HM Mohammed V and late HM Hassan II in supporting African liberation movements, including those of South Africa and Algeria, making Rabat the meeting place of all African leaders of national liberation movements.” “This militancy is a reason for pride for Morocco in consideration of its membership in the African family, an approach pursued today by HM King Mohammed VI in His unconditional support to the African struggle in the face of the challenges to be met on the level of development and also on the security register and in favor of unity.