International Football
Morocco’s football revolution reaping rewards
With Morocco excelling in men’s, women’s and youth football, and treading new ground in futsal, we look at what is underpinning their rise.
- Moroccan’s men, women, youth and futsal sides have been enjoying notable successes
- Long-term project making the nation a force in world football
- We look at some of the factors behind the Moroccans’ rise
Moroccan football has prospered in recent years, with the men’s national team reaching the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the women’s national team reaching the round of 16 at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™, the U-17s also reaching the last 16 at the recent FIFA U-17 World Cup™, and the U-23s winning this year’s U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, qualifying for next year’s Olympic Games in the process.
Morocco also won the FIFA Futsal Confederations Cup 2022, climbing to eighth place in the world futsal rankings, having made it to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup™ in 2021. Not only were these all firsts for Morocco, but no African or Arab national team had ever achieved any of these feats before. They have been racking up unprecedented achievements in no time at all, despite their relatively low standing in the recent past, and that is thanks to a plan that has been years in the making.
A comprehensive plan
Morocco’s successes in 2022 and 2023, not to mention the country’s successful bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 alongside Spain and Portugal, were no accident. In fact, all of this stems from a carefully constructed plan, which is now bearing fruits for Moroccan football and, with long-term sporting investment, will surely continue to do so in the future.
After a group stage exit in 1998, the Atlas Lions failed to qualify for another World Cup until 2018, and they also missed three editions of the Africa Cup of Nations in the 1990s. Such disappointing results were the result of a footballing setup that lacked a structured process for talent identification, player development or professionalisation.
All that changed thanks to the new project steered by Royal Moroccan Football Federation President, Fouzi Lekjaa. After Lekjaa was appointed to the role in 2017, results quickly picked up thanks to the plan that was implemented across Moroccan football, at all age groups and for the men’s and women’s game, with clubs also playing a key role.
Success begins to bud
With Lekjaa in place, the national federation worked on developing the sporting infrastructure in the country, building new stadia and renovating existing ones. As a result, Morocco was able to host this year’s Africa Cup of Nations across nine of its international stadiums and successfully bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 alongside Spain and Portugal.
In 2009, with Moroccan football at a low point, King Mohammed VI built a football academy at a cost of EUR 13 million, with the aim of developing the sport at the national level, and the results were impressive. The academy provides education as well as sporting development, with dedicated study spaces including ten classrooms. It also features a state-of-the-art sports medicine department ready to produce future professionals.
Several talented players have already come from the academy, such as Youssef En-Nesyri, Nayef Aguerd, Hamza Mendyl, Azzedine Ounahi, nine players from the U-17 national team, and six of the women’s team. It has become a gold mine for Morocco’s national teams and a key part in their success on the world stage.
Youth and women’s football
The federation obliged clubs to set up youth foundations to help identify and develop talent, and they have certainly done that, with a number of players going to Europe to play professionally and others raising the level of Moroccan clubs, enabling them to achieve great things in international competitions.
Similarly, women’s football has greatly benefited from the changes, with AS FAR winning the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2022, not to mention the Atlas Lionesses reaching the round of 16 at this year’s Women’s World Cup. Investing in youth and women’s football was key to transforming Moroccan football.
In 2020, FIFA gave football federations a grant of USD 500,000 US dollars to overcome the impact of COVID-19, and Lekjaa decided to put this money towards the development of women’s football in Morocco.
These funds were used to hire Reynald Pedros as the women’s national team head coach, with responsibilities including overseeing the youth women’s teams and, most importantly, identifying Moroccan talent playing in Europe whilst continuing to develop football locally.
Overseas talent
The federation sought to make the most of the large Moroccan diaspora, particularly given how many were playing in countries with a strong footballing tradition like the Netherlands, Spain and France.
The challenge, once these players were identified, was to convince them to play for Morocco. Thanks to this process, Morocco could count on stars like Hakim Ziyech, Sofyan Amrabat, Nordin Amrabat, Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, who ultimately led the Atlas Lions to fourth place at Qatar 2022.
The Atlas Lionesses also benefited, with the addition of players such as Yasmine Zouhir, who plays her club football for Saint-Etienne, Iman Saoud, who plays in Switzerland, and Tottenham Hotspur star Rosella Ayane.
Locally-based players have also reached a new level thanks to the improvements in both the men’s and women’s leagues. On top of this, Moroccan coaches have been given the opportunity to study, learn and gain experience, with a view to coaching the national teams and demonstrating their ability.
With Walid Regragui taking over as head coach of the men’s national team, there are now Moroccan coaches overseeing every age group. After years in the doldrums, Morocco became a big name in football thanks to a comprehensive project, long-term planning and a belief in the rewards to be gained from continued hard work.
-CAF
International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat
Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.
Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.
By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.
Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
LONGER HALFTIMES
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
-Reuters
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Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.
Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.
“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”
Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.
After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.
-Reuters
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International Football
From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro
“I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro
Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil.
However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.
Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.
Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).
He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.
His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.
These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people. I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,” he insists
The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius.
“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.
‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”
Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.
“Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: “I want to continue it.”
-Marca
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