Tennis Federation between uncertainty, failure and absence at the Olympic Games. Call for Faiçal Laàraichi’s departure
HIBAPRESS-RABAT
Moroccan tennis has been going through a real crisis for several years, causing it to miss the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics once again. The last time Moroccan tennis participated in the Olympic Games was in Athens in 2004.
Since the appointment of Faiçal Laàraichi as president of the Royal Moroccan Tennis Federation in 2009, Moroccan tennis has been plagued by problems and failures, which has led Morocco to once again miss out on the tennis competitions at the Summer Olympics currently taking place in the French capital, Paris.
Since the death of the Father of Moroccan Tennis, the eternal and late fighter Si Mohammed M’Jid and the retirement of the duo Hicham Arazi and Younes El Aynaoui, Moroccan tennis has been unable to produce a new champion to honor Morocco in international competitions, such as major tournaments and the Olympic Games.
The hypocrisy of the FRMT extended to refusing the young Reda Bennani, a few months ago, to participate in the Hassan II Tennis Grand Prix, while he is one of the best hopes of Moroccan tennis.
Reda Bennani published a video in which he expressed his dissatisfaction with his marginalization and his refusal to participate in the Hassan II Prize, where he complained about the “denial” on the part of the technical management, indicating that it tried to harm his reputation and also questioned his patriotism during the past period.
Faced with its inability to produce new champions, the FRMT has resorted to foreign players, such as Elliot Benchret, who defended the colours of France before the Tennis Federation brought him to Morocco, but he has not managed to prove himself and has not brought any added value.
Many believe that the FRMT needs a radical change with the departure of Faiçal Laàraichi from his presidency, and the election of a new board more competent and capable of bringing Moroccan tennis back to the forefront, and putting an end to the series of failures and the absence of international competitions such as the Olympic Games.
