Algerian media turn Morocco’s AFCON defeat political

Following the Moroccan national football team’s defeat in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal, Sunday, Algerian state media suddenly appeared to rediscover that Morocco has a national team competing in the tournament. This attention, however, did not stem from professional sports coverage or journalistic balance, but rather from an apparent desire to settle political scores and outdo one another in displays of hostility toward the Kingdom.

After largely ignoring Morocco’s matches throughout the competition and even avoiding mention of Morocco as the host country, official Algerian media covered the final between Morocco and Senegal in a strikingly unusual manner. The Moroccan team was repeatedly referred to as «the Makhzen», with claims that the match was marred by «imposed refereeing manipulation», prompting Algerian fans, according to these reports, to «celebrate wildly the defeat of the Makhzen and the collapse of its schemes».

Algerian state television went further, alleging that «the Makhzen» had «ruined the most prestigious African competition», depriving its own people of the joy of victory through the «cunning of its players», and even causing «divisions among the continent’s teams».

It is worth noting that since the start of the Africa Cup of Nations, both official and private Algerian media outlets have focused almost exclusively on accusations of Morocco’s alleged «organizational failure», claims of «buying referees», and even assertions that teams were bribed to deliberately lose to Morocco.