CAF chaos: Confederations Cup final gripped by political tensions and VAR controversy

Moroccan club Renaissance Berkane are due to host Egyptian outfit Zamalek on Sunday in the CAF Confederation Cup final first leg against a background of off-field drama. 

Algerian side USMA, who forfeited both legs of a semi-final in a storm over Moroccan maps on the Berkane shirts, have asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reverse those decisions.

They also want the first leg of the title decider, scheduled for the 10,000-capacity Stade Municipal in northeastern Morocco, to be postponed.

Separately, Zamalek have requested the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to change the Tunisian VAR officials chosen to handle the first encounter to those from another country.

The shirts drama began two days before the first leg was set to be played on April 21 when Algerian custom officials seized the kit as the map included the Western Sahara.

Morocco have controlled most of that sparsely populated territory, which has phosphate reserves and rich fishing grounds, since 1975.

But Algeria is opposed to Moroccan rule and backs the Polisario Front, which seeks independence for the Western Sahara.

The dispute was partly responsible for Algeria cutting diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021 over what it called "hostile acts". Morocco branded the move "completely unjustified".

CAF ordered the Algerian authorities to return the confiscated kit and when they did not do so, Berkane refused to play and were awarded a 3-0 walkover by the African body.

Algeria argued that the shirts contained a political message that conflicts with the laws of the game and CAF and FIFA regulations.

Morocco countered that shirts including the map had been worn in Nigeria, Mali, South Africa, Congo Brazzaville and Libya en route to the semi-finals,