Adidas' new Algerian kit crosses too many cultural boundaries, Morocco say

October 4 - A new kit unveiled by the Algerian national team has drawn the ire of Morocco's arch-rivals who have called for it to be withdrawn.

The new strip features yellow, blue and off-blue geometric shapes. Adidas says it is a tribute to the famous Algerian monument of Palais Mechouar, located 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 colorful earthenware tiles, known in Morocco as zellige.

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“This is cultural appropriation, an attempt to steal 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 jersey be retired within two weeks or the company issue a statement "to identify Morocco's zellige art as a source of inspiration".

He also threatened to take the case “to organizations related to heritage and copyright protection,” including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

A Moroccan government lawyer told The Associated Press that he had been instructed by the Ministry of Culture to send "a legal warning" to Adidas.

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