OM Africa Jersey Controversy: Marseille Withdraws Puma Kit Over Morocco Map Error

– bySaid · 1 min read
OM Africa Jersey Controversy: Marseille Withdraws Puma Kit Over Morocco Map Error

Olympique de Marseille has withdrawn the promotional video for its new “OM Africa” jersey. The reason: a map of Africa cutting Morocco off from its Sahara, sparking online outrage and an immediate withdrawal.

The Marseille club unveiled a special collection on Friday evening in collaboration with Puma, designed to celebrate the continent’s football heritage. The presentation video revealed a pattern made up of the outlines of the 54 African countries. However, the depiction of Moroccan territory without its southern provinces immediately triggered strong reactions online, completely overshadowing the campaign’s original message.

OM Africa Jersey: Puma and Marseille Face Sahara Controversy

Faced with the rapid spread of screenshots highlighting this geopolitical omission, OM deleted the sequence from its social media accounts and deactivated the purchase page on its official store. At this stage, no statement has been issued by management to explain the error or ease tensions.

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Meanwhile, Puma finds itself in a paradoxical and delicate position, as the German brand is also the official kit supplier of the Atlas Lions. While the jersey has disappeared from the Marseille sales circuit, it remains strangely available on the supplier’s European platform. On that website, the pattern is displayed upside down, making the map less immediately readable, although the border lines remain distinct.