Luqach calls for the development of local players and reducing the gap with national teams.
Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, called for "building a clear strategy" to qualify local players in the national league so that they reach top levels.
Lekjaa questioned, during a meeting held today, Monday, in Rabat with coaches from the first and second division clubs of the professional national league "Inwi" in preparation for the upcoming football season, about the reasons for the significant gap between local players and their counterparts in various national football teams.
The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation said: "When reviewing the results of the last World Cup, we find that the team included only two reserve goalkeepers from the national league without any midfield or attacking players from this league; whereas the local league used to supply the team with complete squads."
The aforementioned official added that the same situation is repeated in various categories; in the under-23 team participating in the Olympics, or even in the under-17 team that reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, we always notice that the main contribution comes from outside the local system, except for limited elements from certain clubs or the academy.
The same speaker continued: "We are facing a collective responsibility that requires us to ask a fundamental question about the reasons for the inability of national football, with its leagues and regional associations, to find its place within the teams; especially with the ongoing protests and weekly interpretations, and the critical financial situation of clubs that accumulate deficits and disputes with FIFA and the relevant committees."
Lekjaa indicated that today marks the end of one phase and the beginning of another culminating in the organization of the World Cup in partnership with Spain and Portugal; which imposes on us as a football family, including coaches, club presidents, and officials, to set a specific roadmap to elevate the level of the game and develop our system to meet this challenge and the World Cup requirement.