Algeria-Guinea Match Anthem Blunder Sparks Diplomatic Tension with Morocco

While some Algerian media have quickly blamed Morocco, the host country, sources close to the organization clarify the responsibilities and designate the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as the sole project manager.

According to these sources, cited by the website Rue20, it is essential to distinguish the role of the host country from that of the official organizer of the competition. Morocco, in response to a request from CAF, has limited itself to making its infrastructure - the Mohammed V stadium and logistical facilities - available, a hosting service that did not include the management of the protocol aspects of the match.

Indeed, the regulations of continental competitions are formal: the entire protocol, from programming to the national anthem ceremony, is under the "exclusive supervision" of the organizing committee dependent on CAF. It is therefore the responsibility of the African Confederation to ensure the proper conduct of this sequence.

In this context, the blaming of Morocco is described as having "no logical or administrative basis". Despite the welcome and the resources made available by the Kingdom for the smooth running of the event, the incident was, according to the Moroccan side, exploited to fuel tensions, while the responsibilities clearly fell to the African organizing body.