Algerian commentator Hafid Derradji said a potential match between Algeria and Morocco would have “increased tension,” explaining that holding the fixture in the current climate would not have helped calm the situation between the two neighbours.
Speaking about the rivalry and what surrounds it, Derradji stressed that a direct Algeria-Morocco meeting would come with heavy pressure and emotions, and could easily lead to a more heated atmosphere both on and off the pitch.
He added that such a game would not be a normal football contest, given the sensitivity of the relationship between the two countries, and that the tension would likely spill into the stands and public debate.
Derradji’s comments come after it was revealed that an Algeria-Morocco clash was one of the possible scenarios that could have happened, before the final shape of the competition bracket and match-ups removed that possibility.
He concluded by underlining that football should remain a space for competition, not escalation, and that avoiding this particular match-up was, in his view, the better outcome to keep the focus on the sport.
