Algeria to boycott African handball cup in Morocco

Algeria’s national handball team will not take part in the African Men’s Handball Championship to be held in Morocco from 13 to 23 January, local media report.

At an event to draw the matches in Ivory Coast on Wednesday, Algeria was not among the participating nations.

The boycott of the Algerian side was expected, after it emerged that some of the games would be hosted in the city of Layoun in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Morocco claims sovereignty of Western Sahara, while Algeria backs the Polisario movement fighting for independence in the former Spanish colony.