This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
HIBAPRESS-RABAT- Mo.K
The years go by and are similar for national sport. With one exception, that of football which has made prodigious progress at the level of national teams; national sport cannot find its feet.
If football has progressed, it owes it to three essential factors: the royal desire to make this discipline a showcase which reflects the transformation of Morocco into an emerging country, the second factor is the granting of a substantial budget to this sector and a freedom of action for a man in this case Faouzi Lakjaa, who understood that, without thoughtful and efficient management like what is done internationally, and without a lot of nerve no program can succeed.
The third equally determining factor is the contribution of the children of Moroccans Living Abroad who joined the national teams and gave that more than the locals have and cannot give to the Atlas Lions. These players benefited from training that does not exist in the country, from monitoring, from professional management, from a rigor, from a seriousness (Al Jiddia that His Majesty recommended to us) that does not possess or the majority of sports leaders and federation presidents do not want it.
Which leads us to look at the real role of our federations. The observation is edifying:
Aside from football therefore; none of the 47 federations were able to distinguish themselves on the international level, none brought home a title except individually like, among others, El Bekkali, Aouita, Nawal, Bidouane, El Guerrouj, Sekkah, Brahim Boutayeb , Hissou, the late Fatima Aouam, the Ouaziz sisters, Hasna Ben Hassi Iguidir, Laghrib…all thanks to their individual abilities and their determination and not to any federal policy or program; however for some of them Aziz Daouda had a lot to do with it.
This prosperous period did not last long and the situation of national sport continued to deteriorate. Indeed, neither team sports nor individual sports, much less water or mountain sports, have been able to shine, neither internationally, nor at the Paris 2024 Games. However, their federations benefit from state support, in the form of of annual subsidies, certainly insufficient, but above all poorly managed.
The various steering committees of these federations are far from mastering the ABCs of sport and the basic notions of sports management. These are generally former practitioners or pseudo-practitioners who, with the “help” and complicity of even more incompetent club presidents, who find themselves at the head of a discipline for a 4-year term, renew a single times, (article 22 of law 30/09), which is not the case for almost all current federation presidents. Many of them have passed this milestone without the tutelary institution intervening; by laxity, by “I don’t care” or simply by denial?
The answer lies with the heads of this department. A department which with the advent of the new government no longer knows where to turn as its integration into the Ministry of National Education seems incongruous, a ministry itself in turmoil. In short, this is another problem that we will try to address in a future article.
One of the defects of national sport is the non-application of the laws which govern this area, among other things, the fact of remaining at the head of the federation despite and against this law (article 22 standard statute of federations). And the examples are numerous, from individual sports federations to team sports federations (except elite football), almost all presidents have largely exceeded the threshold of two mandates.
And what is even more shocking is the lack of reactions from the supervisory ministry which allows it to happen, making one wonder if there really exists a ministry which takes care of Moroccan sport and not just a football ministry (exclusively the national teams).
Apparently we have the right to doubt it given the state of the various sporting disciplines which are going from bad to worse, and even without the contribution of athletes from the Moroccan diaspora, whom certain federations call upon during major international events ( Olympic Games, World Championship, African Championship etc.), national sport would be in a comatose state. Which challenges us and leads us to ask the following questions: what then is the role and usefulness of a federation which produces nothing and why should we pay it an annual subsidy since it produces nothing?
What fate do we have in store for the youth of tomorrow? What hope do we give our children?
Can we hope for medals and trophies with such a policy? The answer is no and a hundred times no, as long as leeches infest national sport as long as decision-makers do not take their responsibilities. “Unfortunately, the sports sector is not able to ensure the most basic conditions for the development of national athletes.” as Mr. Moncef El Yazghi so well declared. Can we hope for medals and trophies with such a policy? The answer is no and a hundred times no, as long as leeches infest national sport as long as decision-makers do not take their responsibilities. could we hope for medals and trophies with such a policy? The answer is no and a hundred times no, as long as leeches infest national sport and as long as decision-makers do not take their responsibilities. “Unfortunately, the sports sector is not able to ensure the most basic conditions for the development of national athletes”, as Mr. Moncef El Yazghi, researcher in sports policy, so well declared.
