The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled in favour of the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) and USM Alger in their appeal against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding the controversial shirts worn by Moroccan club RS Berkane during the 2023-24 CAF Confederation Cup.
The dispute centred on Berkane’s jerseys, which featured a map of Morocco, including the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
The FAF and USMA argued that the inclusion of this map constituted a political statement, violating CAF and FIFA regulations that mandate political neutrality in football.
FAF and USMA appealed to CAS, seeking to overturn CAF’s decision that had allowed RS Berkane to wear the jerseys in the competition.
The case gained significance after USMA refused to play two scheduled semi-final matches against Berkane in protest.
CAF subsequently awarded Berkane 3-0 victories in both fixtures.
Following a videoconference hearing in November 2024, CAS ruled that the depiction of Western Sahara on Berkane’s jerseys was indeed political in nature and contravened CAF and FIFA rules.
As a result, the arbitration body annulled CAF’s prior decision approving the jerseys, upholding FAF’s appeal.
Despite the ruling, CAS clarified that the decision does not affect the results of the 2023-24 CAF Confederation Cup.
