French football club Olympique de Marseille has triggered widespread backlash in Morocco after unveiling a new Africa-themed kit collection that features country maps, including a design showing Morocco separated from its Sahara, a move widely seen as undermining the kingdom’s territorial integrity.
Images of the kit circulated widely on social media, prompting angry reactions from Moroccan users who said using inaccurate maps, particularly in Morocco’s case, was a serious error that cannot be justified on artistic or promotional grounds, given the issue’s political sensitivity.
Criticism intensified after it emerged that the same manufacturer behind the Marseille kits also supplies Morocco’s national football teams, a detail many described as contradictory and raising questions about oversight before the designs were released.
The controversy also targeted Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia, who faced sharp criticism on X for failing to intervene, with users arguing that his Moroccan background and senior role at the club placed a responsibility on him to prevent what they called an offensive design.
As of now, the club has issued no official response. Moroccan activists are calling for the disputed designs to be withdrawn and for a public clarification, stressing that issues linked to Morocco’s territorial unity remain a red line and cannot be treated as minor artistic details.
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