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In the Tindouf camps, the creation of a football team intended to represent the Sahrawis has sparked a wave of controversy. The team recently played against a selection of former Algerian national team stars, drawing criticism from voices who argue that it is disconnected from the social realities of life in the camps.
«This team is mainly made up of the sons of high-ranking Polisario Front officials, and even Spaniards», said Abba Bouzid, a Sahrawi dissident and former political prisoner now living in France. He points to the presence of the son and brother of Bouhbini, president of the Sahrawi Red Crescent, as well as the son of Khatri Addouh, the movement’s representative in Algiers, and the son of Najat Najdi, the Front’s representative in Germany.
Bouzid further alleges that the squad includes a Spanish player, Martin Castellon from Seville, who, according to him, has no connection to the camps or to the separatist movement.
He also recalls that in the 1980s, the Front had formed a football team largely composed of «black» players, and that the former president of the Sahrawi Federation was also «black». Today, he claims, «whites» dominate the new Polisario «selection».
The formation of this team comes at a politically sensitive time, following talks held on February 8 and 9 at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid. The discussions, involving Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front, and Mauritania, focused on the Western Sahara issue. They have fueled growing speculation among camp residents, particularly over whether the Front may have made concessions to Morocco.
