This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Heba Press
Morocco has established itself in recent years as an “emerging superpower” in world football, according to what the New York Times writes in a long report which highlights the important measures that the Kingdom has taken to develop its infrastructure, notably sports, improve talents. discovery and improve the training of football players, in addition to achieving outstanding achievements similar to the historic epic of the 2022 World Cup.
The prestigious American newspaper highlighted, in an article titled “How Morocco is emerging as an emerging superpower in football”, that the Kingdom has become a major football hub on the African continent, a position which was reinforced by the announcement of an agreement to establish a permanent headquarters for the FIFA African office in Marrakech.
Morocco will host the headquarters of the African Office of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), in accordance with the agreement signed last week in Marrakech by Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister, Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, and Mr. Faouzi Lakjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
In its specialized supplement “The Athletic”, the New York Times reports that in 2022, Morocco became the first African and Arab country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, noting that “this feat, achieved by the ‘one of the most prominent underdog teams in the history of the tournament, which… Capturing hearts and minds far beyond the continent’s borders was not just a coincidence.
Indeed, Morocco, which will host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, has invested massively in sports facilities, according to a daily report signed by journalist and author of several books on football, Simon Hughes , adding that the Mohammed VI Football Academy, located near Rabat, which is an “ultra-modern facility”, is considered “one of the most important projects” for the overall development of Moroccan football.
The American daily explains that this pioneering academy covers an area estimated at 2.5 square kilometers, and includes a school, a medical center and four playgrounds, adding that in 2017, five other regional training centers were built in different regions of the Kingdom.
Furthermore, adds the article, the new Hassan II Stadium, under construction with a capacity of 115,000 seats, is considered “the largest football stadium in the world and a symbol of the country’s new status as one emerging powers of the world. world football”, stressing that many Moroccans hope that this stadium will host the final of the 2030 World Cup.
Before this major event, Morocco is expected to host five consecutive editions of the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, each year from 2025, according to the newspaper, which indicates that the capital, Rabat, will also host the Cup next April. of the world. Football Summit, a gathering of world football leaders and experts.
The American newspaper underlines that “the discovery of talents has greatly improved in Morocco, as have the infrastructures which are exploited to develop local talents”, noting the announcement of the Royal Moroccan Football League, the OCP group and partners of the private sector. , on the creation of a special national fund for football training, with the aim of developing training centers and encouraging young talents.
