Berkane in final after shirt row brings second walkover

Moroccan club Renaissance Berkane officially qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup final on Thursday, after two semifinal walkovers in a storm over a map of their country on team shirts.

A Confederation of African Football statement said Berkane had been awarded a 3-0 second-leg win because Algerian opponents USM Alger refused to play.

The fixture, scheduled for last Sunday in Morocco, followed an unplayed first leg, which was also awarded 3-0 tor Berkane in the African equivalent of the Uefa Europa League.

Neither match took place as USM and the Algerian authorities objected to a map of Morocco on the Berkane shirts which included Western Sahara. Algeria does not recognise Moroccan rule of the territory.

The Clubs Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), meeting on Wednesday to discuss the match between Renaissance Sportive of Berkane and USM Alger in the semi-final second leg of the CAF Cup, confirmed RS Berkane’s qualification for the final of this continental… pic.twitter.com/ACpBbJa1bs

— Hespress English (@HespressEnglish) May 2, 2024

Algeria cut diplomatic ties with north African neighbours Morocco in 2021, partly over the Western Sahara issue.

Berkane's shirts were confiscated when they arrived in Algiers for the first leg and the Moroccans refused to play in alternate jerseys created by the Algerians that excluded the map.

Title-holders USM then travelled to Morocco, but refused to fulfil the return fixture, leading to a second walkover for 2020 and 2022 Confederation Cup winners Berkane.

The CAF statement said the USM case had been forwarded to the disciplinary board and the club could face additional sanctions.

Berkane will host the first leg of the final against 2019 Confederation Cup winners Zamalek of Egypt on 12 May with the return match on 19 May.