Algerian security insults the Berkane mission at the airport

The delegation of the Nahdet Berkane football team was subjected to ill-treatment by Algerian security at the “Houari Boumediene” airport, where the Moroccan and Algerian parties did not reach any solution after Algerian customs confiscated the Berkane team’s equipment on the pretext that the players’ shirts had a map of Morocco on them.

“Hesport” learned from a private source who was at the airport that the Berkane team’s delegation was subjected to ill-treatment by Algerian security, who attempted to expel some of the players from the airport, in a scene far from the spirit of sportsmanship.

The same source explained that the way Algerian security dealt with it aroused the ire of the Moroccan delegation members, who spent more than ten hours at the airport in completely inappropriate conditions, knowing that the team had a decisive match in less than 48 hours.

As the newspaper indicated in previous articles, Nahdet Berkane players were subjected to unjustified harassment after the plane that took them to El Houari Boumediene Airport arrived from Oujda Angad Airport on a direct flight that took about an hour.

The same source added that the Algerian customs administration refused to authorize RS Berkane officials to leave the airport, assuring them that the country’s officials rejected the presence of the Berkane team on Algerian territory with shirts bearing the map of Morocco, noting that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) approved these shirts some time ago.

RS Berkane is preparing to play the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final against the defending champion, USM Algiers, on Sunday, April 21, at eight in the evening, while the return match will take place next weekend at the municipal stadium in Berkane.

This incident brings to mind the detention of a Moroccan journalist delegation in Algeria, which had accompanied the Moroccan delegation participating in the Mediterranean Games hosted by Algeria about two years ago.