The Morocco national team has withdrawn from the seventh edition of the CHAN tournament due to travel restrictions as announced by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation in a press release.
There has always been a ban of direct flights from Morocco to Algeria which has been the major case as the Moroccan Football Federation insisted on using their official national team plane direct from Rabat to Constantine but are yet to get fully authorization to fly in Algeria air.
With just a day to the kickoff of the CHAN 2023 tournament, it looks impossible for Morocco making it in time to take part in the seventh edition hence failing to defend their crown.
“The Moroccan Football Selection is unable to travel to Constantine in Algeria to play the 7th edition of the African Nations Football Championship which will be organized from January 13th to February 4th, 2023. Hence Morocco failing to defend his title insofar as the final authorization for his Royal Air Maroc (RAM) flight, the official carrier of the Moroccan Football Selections, from Rabat to Constantine has not been confirmed.”
“As a reminder, the Management Committee of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), meeting on December 27, 2022, had taken a decision relating to Morocco’s participation in CHAN 2022, aimed at ensuring the transfer of the Moroccan Selection from Rabat to Constantine aboard a RAM flight. Following its request for authorization of a RAM flight from Rabat to Constantine, the FRMF was informed on December 22, 2022 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), as the body in charge of organizing the CHAN 2022, that an authorization in principle had been obtained.”
“On the basis of this authorization in principle, the FRMF has (i) communicated the details of the Moroccan Selection’s flight plan and coordinates in order to obtain the final authorization for the RAM flight from Rabat to Constantine and (ii) continued the preparation of the trip and the participation of the Moroccan Selection in CHAN 2022, in particular the preparation camp at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé from January 6 to 10, 2023 during which two friendly matches against Ethiopia were played.”
“While the trip of the Moroccan Selection from Rabat to Constantine is organized by the FRMF and the kick-off of CHAN 2022 is scheduled for January 13, 2023, i.e. in 24 hours, the FRMF notes with regret that obtaining of the final authorization of the RAM flight from Rabat to Constantine has unfortunately still not been confirmed by CAF.” Read a press release from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
Morocco had been placed in group C of the CHAN tournament alongside Sudan, Madagascar and Ghana.
