Algerian authorities have refused entry to several Moroccan sports journalists and the official photographer of Moroccan club AS FAR ahead of the team’s CAF Champions League clash with JS Kabylie.
The match is part of the third round of the group stage and will be played in Tizi Ouzou.
The journalists had submitted formal visa applications to cover the game, but their requests were rejected, a move widely viewed as a violation of media rights and a breach of continental and international norms governing major sporting competitions.
The restrictions have not only targeted the press but also extended to AS FAR supporters. The club’s fan groups issued a statement condemning what they described as deliberate obstruction and stalling by Algerian consulates, despite fans fulfilling all legal requirements for travel, which ultimately prevented them from obtaining visas to attend the match.
The “Corvatchi” ultras, who lead AS FAR’s organized support, said the way Algerian authorities handled the travel file took matters out of the realm of sport. They argued that simple fan-trip requests were treated as potential security threats instead of being recognized as normal initiatives to support a team in a football context.
As a result, the game between JS Kabylie and AS FAR is set to be played in a tense atmosphere within a Group B that also includes Egypt’s Al Ahly and Tanzania’s Young Africans.
Observers fear these off-field decisions could cast a shadow over the competition and undermine the spirit of fair play and sporting brotherhood that continental tournaments are meant to promote.
