HIBAPRESS – Sports
Fathi Jamal, the Technical Development Director at the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, confirmed that the achievement of the "Atlas Cubs" in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, currently being held in Chile, is the result of a strict development strategy that relied on strong academies, clear programs, continuous training, and technical and administrative guidance.
Fathi Jamal said, in an interview published on the official website of the International Football Federation (FIFA), that the Moroccan national team's qualification to the FIFA U-20 World Cup final was not a coincidence, but a direct result of this strategy, which the federation began implementing over the years. He explained that a noticeable and tangible development has been achieved in the field of football development in Morocco at various levels, thanks to the vision of work adopted by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, pointing out that the results have begun to appear clearly since 2021. In the context of his discussion of the most prominent elements of this development, Fathi Jamal highlighted the role of the academies, especially the Mohammed VI Football Academy, in addition to the national program, which includes 14 clubs, and aims to ensure consistency in training, emphasizing that four unified technical centers, in Salé, Casablanca, Ben Guerir, and Laayoune, embody the federation's commitment to high-quality and widespread football training. As the coach who led the national team under 20 years old to the semi-finals of the 2005 World Cup in the Netherlands, Fathi Jamal recalled some lessons learned from that experience and compared between the 2005 generation and the current generation, stressing that what unites them is the passion for the national shirt and the sincere desire to represent Morocco in the best possible way. The speaker, in contrast, pointed out the existence of clear differences, stating that "the 2005 generation sometimes lacked maturity and accompaniment, and a number of its players were affected by media pressure or made unfortunate decisions in their professional paths, and the absence of an organizational structure in a number of clubs limited their development." The same coach added that what distinguishes the 2025 generation is its benefit from a better environment at the training level, thanks to the programs that have been put in place, emphasizing that the lack of guidance after the tournament was the most prominent obstacle in 2005, as many players did not find the necessary guidance or stable support within their clubs, which slowed down the pace of their development despite the great talent they possessed. Regarding the path presented by the current national team under the leadership of coach Mohamed Wahbi, Fathi Jamal said that this path is "very honorable, and for me, it was not a surprise," noting that this group was able to raise its level and deal with moments of doubt in continental competitions and gave a strong collective performance in the World Cup. The speaker concluded that reaching the final is not just a result, but proof that the adopted methodology is bearing fruit, stressing that the mix between national academy players and diaspora talents, mental work, the appropriate tactical approach, and the possession of a strong bench, are all essential factors that contributed to correcting the mistakes of the past.
