This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress-Rabat-Caf
At 29, Meryem Hajri lived a new African final. Less than two years after having led SC Casablanca to the summit of the CAF women’s Champions League-without however winning the title-(Editor’s note: undoing: 2-0 against Mamelodi Sundowns) The Moroccan International is again in the race for a continental coronation. This time, it is with the national jersey on the shoulders and shoes with flat soles that she dreams of a title.
On Wednesday, in Rabat, she led the Moroccan Futsal selection in the female CAN final against Tanzania. A unique trajectory, between grass and parquet, between all -terrain pressing and millimeter combinations. A story of adaptation, passion, and loyalty to two disciplines that do not always share light.
From lawn to continental projectors
It is in Casablanca, in the districts where children dream of Raja or Wydad, that Meryem Hajri grew up, ball at the foot. Quickly spotted for her technical accuracy and her ability to read the game, she joined the structures of Moroccan women’s football very young. It was at SC Casablanca that his career has a continental turn. In 2023, the club rose to the final of the CAF women’s Champions League. Hajri is at the heart of the game, Brassard -free captain, a true metronome in the middle. That year, SC Casablanca fell to Mamelodi Sundowns (2-0), but the Moroccan service remains a reference. “We had marked history. It was hard to lose in the final, but we showed that we were there, “she says today.
The Parenthesis Futsal, which has become passion
It is in the shadow of big football that Meriem discovers futsal, first as a technical improvement tool. Then as a full -fledged discipline. “At the start, it was to keep the pace out of season. But I quickly liked speed, constant reflection, collective automatisms. »»
In 2024, she made her first steps with the national selection of Futsal. And of course, it becomes a centerpiece. As a remote leader, she dictates the tempo, directs transitions and does not reluctant to defensive efforts. The Futsal 2025 female CAN, organized in Morocco, is a timely. In the Moulay Abdellay complex, the Atlas lionesses chain solid performance: victories against Namibia (8-1), against Cameroon (7-1), then in the semi-finals against Angola (5-1). On Wednesday, they will challenge Tanzania to win a very first continental coronation.
The example of a versatile generation
At a time when Moroccan women’s sport lives a revolution brought by the successes of football in eleven, the Meriem Hajri’s journey embodies a new vision: that of athletes capable of shining on several stages, of juggling between disciplines, without ever losing in demand. “I can’t choose between the two. I flourish as much on the lawn as on the prosecution, “she simply said.
For her, futsal is not a withdrawal. It is an extension. A chance too. “The development of female futsal here goes very quickly. There is rigor, means, a real vision. And this offers more visibility to players who sometimes have less playing time in eleven football. »»
A finish in the skin, but a revenge to take
In the voice of Meryem Hajri there is a form of serenity, forged by the missed appointments and the fights led. “A final is not played, it is won. They say that often, but it’s true. I learned it at my expense with Casablanca. There, we want to go to the end. Especially at home. »»
