Toulouse FC Sparks Controversy with Moroccan Map in Player Celebration Post

Celebrating the selection of its attacking midfielder Zakaria Aboukhlal with the Moroccan national team, Toulouse FC posted a graphic montage on its Twitter account on Friday, which included a complete map of Morocco including the Sahara, reports La Dépêche du Midi. This sparked strong reactions from some Internet users. Faced with the controversy, the Toulouse club removed the publication. A new controversy is born. Moroccan or Moroccan-origin fans accuse the TFC of having yielded to the pressure of comments close to the claim of the Polisario Front, namely the independence of the Sahara. "By deleting Zakaria’s post with the Moroccan map, you insulted millions of Moroccans. We are waiting for your apologies because what you did is unacceptable," fumes an Internet user in anger. Some Internet users have launched the hashtag #BoycottTFC to call for a boycott of the Toulouse club.

Reacting to the removal of his club’s publication, Zakaria Aboukhlal posted a photo of himself on Instagram on Saturday in which he is proudly displaying the Moroccan flag with the complete map of Morocco including the Sahara. The TFC makes a new publication to try to definitively end the controversy. "Faced with the virulent reactions caused by the publications of some of our posts, we would like to recall that, far from any geopolitical considerations, our only concern lies in the respect and unity of all communities around one thing: football," tweets the Toulouse club.