October 4 – A new kit unveiled by Algeria’s national team has drawn the ire of arch-rivals Morocco who have asked for it to be pulled.
The new strip features yellow, blue and off-blue geometric shapes. Adidas say that these are a tribute to the famous Algerian landmark of the Mechouar Palace, situated in Tlemcen.
But Morocco’s Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication said in a statement this week that the design depicts a traditional mosaic of coloured earthenware tiles, known in Morocco as zellige.
“It’s cultural appropriation, an attempted robbery of a form of traditional Moroccan cultural heritage,” the ministry said in the statement.
In a letter sent to Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted, Morocco demanded the withdrawal within two weeks of the jersey or that the company release a statement “to identify the zellige art of Morocco as an inspiration”.
It also threatened to bring the case “before organisations relating to the protection of heritage and copyrights”, including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
A lawyer for the Moroccan government told the Associated Press he was instructed by the culture ministry to send “a legal warning” to Adidas.
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