Dressed to impress in a show of Moroccan cultural appreciation, her gesture quickly angered some Algerians on social media who claimed the garment as their own and hurled insults.
Marrakech – Anne-Laure Bonnet, a well-known French sports journalist, was among the guests at the 2024 CAF Awards ceremony, which took place on December 16 in Marrakech.
Dressed for the occasion at the Palais de Congrés in Marrakech, she did not expect to become the target of insults on social media, all because of her outfit.
To honor the host country, Bonnet chose to wear a stunning midnight blue velvet caftan.
While her gesture was applauded by Moroccan netizens, it quickly angered some Algerian internet users, who claimed the traditional garment as their own and launched insults at the journalist.
Unfazed, Bonnet responded directly in the same story. “You post a photo in a caftan and the crazy people let loose. Have a drink, it will help you relax,” she wrote in reply to her critics.
Bonnet also addressed her detractors on X, reposting her photo in the Moroccan caftan and stating: “This is not a political statement. It’s just that I never get tired of my first Moroccan caftan.”
This is not the first time that Algeria has made headlines and caused friction in regards to claiming Morocco’s cultural identity.
At the start of this month, Morocco’s ambassador to UNESCO thwarted Algeria’s attempt to claim the “caftan el-ntaa” – Moroccan caftan of Fassi origin, of which the backlash also sparked heated discussion online.
Bonnet is a prominent figure on French television, especially popular among football fans. It was for this reason that she was invited to the 2024 CAF Awards, an event celebrating the best African footballers of the year.
Formerly a journalist for BeIN Sports France, she later worked on the Téléfoot channel and is now with Public Sénat, where she hosts the show “Sports, etc.”
