Defending champions Morocco, on Thursday withdrew from the 2023 African Nations Championships (CHAN), just hours before the start of the competition in Algeria.

Despite the decision pending approval from continental football custodians CAF, the Atlas Lions confirmed they’ll not be a part of the tournament.

“(We) were informed on December 22 by CAF that an authorisation in principle had been obtained,” read part of FMRF’s statement on their website.

“The obtaining of the final authorisation has unfortunately not been confirmed by CAF.”

“The FRMF has communicated the details of the flight plan and coordinates in order to obtain final authorisation for the RAM flight from Rabat and continued the preparation of the trip and the participation in CHAN,” it added.

The Moroccans were denied a direct flight from Rabat to Constantine due to political tensions between the two North African sides.

The two powerhouses have had bickering since, and the tension became even more intense in 2021 when they denied each other airspace.

The Moroccans were due to use their U-23 team, in a tournament they have despised for years, and were slated to kickstart off with a bout against Sudan on Sunday.