Moroccan footballer Abdelatif Akhrif, who drowned after being swept away at sea, may have succeeded on a diplomatic front he would never have imagined while alive. That is thanks to a former coach of Kenya’s national football team, Adel Amrouche, who knew how to play on both sides.
His remains were discovered, on August 8, in Algerian territory, a country Morocco doesn’t often speak with, owing to an age-old diplomatic tiff. His body was allowed repatriation, using a border crossing that had been closed for decades. It marked the first time in decades.
Morocco and Algeria have been public enemies of each other since the 1980s, when Algeria backed the separatist Polisario Front which laid claim to a part of Western Sahara known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). Morocco has declared the entire Western Sahara its territory even though SADR is also a member of the African Union.
But their beef rose in 1994 when Rabat accused the Algeria of masterminding the Marrakech attack where two Spaniards died. From then, Rabat stopped free movement for Algerians, requiring them to obtain visas. Algeria responded by shutting the border with Morocco.
The two sides continue to bicker in public forums, sometimes descending into punches as it happened last week in Japan during the ministerial conference of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
But grim discovery of the Moroccan player’s body offered some kind of humanity. He and another player, Salman Harraq, disappeared at sea when strong currents swept away their yacht during a leisure outing with teammates.
The two players were part of a group of five from the top-flight team Ittihad Tanger FC, cruising off Tangier's coast. Three of their companions were rescued, but Akhrif and Harraq remained missing, sparking a desperate search.
A jet-ski sailor discovered the body near Cap Falcon in the Ain al-Trak region, on the outskirts of the Algerian city of Oran, a staggering 831km away from where he was last seen.
Akhrif had already secured a place in Ittihad Tanger's senior squad. His teammate, Harraq, was on the cusp of joining the senior team when his dreams were cut short.
“When we heard there was a possibility of the body of my brother being in Algeria, the first thing that came to mind was the complication of travel to go and identify the body,” Akhrif’s brother, Rafik, told The EastAfrican .
Algeria had doubled down the bad blood in 2021 after shutting down the airspace, blocking all civilian or military aircraft. Except for sports fixtures, the two sides have rarely interacted. Morocco in September 2023 declined Algerian donations following an earthquake.
When this tragedy of a footballer came in, former Kenya national team coach Adel Amrouche was the one tasked to try a truce. Recognising the profound sorrow of Akhrif's loved ones and the urgency of the situation, the Algerian-Belgian ex-footballer used his connections and influence within Algeria to navigate the bureaucratic hurdles and diplomatic sensitivities.
“The first time I heard about the situation was through a video clip I saw on TikTok,” Amrouche told The EastAfrican last week. “It was Abdelatif’s mother crying over the disappearance of her son. When I heard that there was a possibility his body had been found in Algeria, I felt compelled to assist.
Rafik, who resides in Spain, hailed Amrouche and Gaya Merbah, the Algerian goalkeeper of Ittihad Tanger, as beacons of hope amidst the political tensions that have plagued Morocco-Algeria relations for decades. Rafik said his actions demonstrate the power of sport to transcend borders and unite people, even in the face of adversity.
"We are eternally grateful to Coach Amrouche and Gaya and the authorities from both countries for the kindness and compassion they have shown my family," he said. "They’re helping us bring our brother home, and we will forever be indebted to him.”
"I was overwhelmed by the kindness and sense of brotherhood I encountered. Amrouche and his family made everything easy for me. I felt completely at home, never once feeling like a stranger in Algeria."
Amrouche and Merbah bought air tickets for Rafik to fly to Algiers and then arranged with the former Harambee Stars tactician to drive Rafik to Oran, some 421km, to identify the body. Following the discovery of the body, a DNA verification process was initiated, requiring samples to be sent from Morocco for comparison.
"We have submitted the DNA samples and are awaiting the completion of all necessary procedures before we can finally lay my brother to rest," added Rafik.
According to Rafik, authorities have committed to opening the border between Maghnia and Oujda for the first time in three decades.
“It really is befitting the kind of person my brother was. Everyone in Tanger loved him. He was a very lovely, talented and humble person. He took care of the family. My mother was ill, and he was taking care of her. This is the testimony of everyone who knew him,” said Rafik.
Amrouche sees the move as a powerful reminder that, despite political differences, the people of Morocco and Algeria share a common bond of humanity.
“We’re all human, and things like this serve as a reminder that we are one,” Amrouche said.
While the repatriation of Akhrif's body brings a measure of closure to his grieving family, Rafik hopes the family of Harraq will eventually find the teenager’s body.
“We still hope and pray the other family will find the body of the boy. His family also deserve closure,” he says.
