Adidas and Morocco resolve row over Algeria football shirt

Last month, Rabat asked Adidas to axe the new tops, accusing it of appropriating "Moroccan cultural heritage" due to the use of a pattern known as "zellige", common in Moroccan ceramic mosaics. A lawyer acting for the culture ministry demanded the withdrawal within two weeks of the jerseys which he claimed was "inspired" by the colourful Moroccan designs.

Adidas reported Friday a "positive resolution" to the dispute following talks with the ministry, and the tops, worn by the Algerian team for pre-match warm-ups, will not be withdrawn. "The design was inspired indeed by the zellige mosaics pattern, and was at no time intended to offend anyone," said the company in a statement.  

Mourad Elajouti, the lawyer acting for the culture ministry, welcomed the news, saying the case highlighted "the importance of defending our cultural heritage and the ancestral know-how of Moroccan craftmanship".