From passion to structure... How does the royal vision elevate Moroccan football?
about 2 hours ago
Sport
From passion to structure... How does the royal vision elevate Moroccan football?
Hesspress Sports·
The achievements of Moroccan football at both the continental and global levels can no longer be viewed in isolation from the profound transformations that the football system has undergone over the past two decades, under a royal vision that has made sports a lever for development and a cornerstone for qualifying human capital and enhancing infrastructure.
Since King Mohammed VI ascended to the throne, Moroccan football has witnessed a gradual path of reform and development, focusing on modernizing infrastructure, establishing the foundations of professionalism, and elevating the training system.
The royal message addressed to the participants in the national sports forum, which was held in Skhirat in 2008, marked a turning point and a starting point for a new developmental path for national sports, contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of national teams and clubs, and solidifying the kingdom's position as a continental and international destination for hosting major football events.
This year has seen the continuation of the football radiance that Moroccan football is experiencing, as the kingdom successfully hosted the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 with a professional organization that amazed the world and sent messages indicating that the kingdom is now capable of hosting the largest football events without any inferiority complex; Morocco achieved full marks in all organizational aspects, including security and logistical matters.
Regarding the brilliance of national football, Ayman Zizi, an academic and sports consultant, stated that the achievements of Moroccan football at both the continental and global levels were not coincidental, but rather the result of a strategic royal vision that began more than twenty years ago, based on long-term investment in people, infrastructure, and governance.
Zizi explained in a statement to Hespress that the candidacy for hosting the 2010 World Cup represented a real turning point in the history of national football; despite Morocco not winning the right to host that edition for reasons that are now well known, it continued to implement most of the projects included in the candidacy file, which embodied, in his words, "the transition from the logic of dreams and ambitions to the logic of planning and achievement."
He added that this phase saw the construction and rehabilitation of several major stadiums, the establishment of the Mohammed VI Football Academy, the hosting of the FIFA Club World Cup, as well as an increase in the volume of investments directed towards national teams and clubs, and the launch of programs for training technical and administrative staff and players, considering that these projects laid the foundations for a national football policy based on continuity and investment.
The sports expert pointed out that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, under the late Ali Fassi Fihri, played a pivotal role at that time in implementing this vision by modernizing the legal system, establishing professionalism, upgrading infrastructure, and launching training centers, before the subsequent phase, under Fouzi Lekjaa, accelerated the pace of reform through restructuring the federation, enhancing national technical management, benefiting from Moroccan and foreign expertise, alongside completing the Mohammed VI Football Complex project and continuing to invest in developing the football system.
Ayman Zizi confirmed that these projects needed time to bear fruit, which was reflected in the results achieved by various national teams in recent years, noting that Moroccan football is no longer just a means of sports representation, but has become a strategic sector contributing to economic and social development, enhancing Morocco's investment and tourism attractiveness, adding that hosting the 2030 World Cup represents an opportunity to solidify this path and accelerate the pace of development, thanks to the royal vision that has moved national football from a phase of passion to a phase of structuring.
National coach Hassan Momen confirmed that the achievements of national football this year have become a natural outcome considering the start of the journey since 2008, through the royal message addressed to the participants in the second national sports forum in Skhirat, and the subsequent projects that national football has witnessed, whether in terms of infrastructure and training or in updating the professionalism law.
Momen mentioned in a statement to Hespress that this year saw the local team crowned with the Africa Cup of Nations for local players, followed by winning the Arab Cup for national teams, in addition to the under-20 team winning the World Cup.
He also pointed out the continuous development of women's football, exemplified by the kingdom hosting the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, where the "Atlas Lionesses" are considered among the top contenders for the title.
Regarding the senior team, the national coach stated that the "Lions" continued their brilliance both continentally and globally this year, winning the Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Morocco, pending confirmation of the decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in addition to their good participation in the 2026 World Cup, where Yassine Bounou's teammates demonstrated that what was achieved in Qatar 2022 was a natural outcome and a confirmation of the progress of national football in the right direction.
Hassan Momen concluded that the achievements being reaped today are merely the fruits of the royal high directives, emphasizing that Moroccan fans have raised their aspirations and are now hoping for a World Cup victory.
Mohamed Akdira, a university professor and expert in public sports policies and the management and governance of sports institutions, stated that national football has made a qualitative leap thanks to the royal high directives, adding that the king confirmed in a royal message that sports is a lever for development and that youth development is linked to sports, indicating that programming and planning were embodied in the construction of the Mohammed VI Academy, which contributed to the flourishing of national football.
In discussing the extent to which national teams are aligned with this vision, Akdira warned in a statement to Hespress that most teams are still managed in an "amateur" manner, noting that the problem lies not in sports itself, but in the human capital managing the league, whether in its professional divisions or at the amateur level and the leagues.
He pointed out that despite the royal directives regarding balanced management and rational governance, the national league still lacks the "professional flavor," especially concerning management, administration, and training aspects.
The sports expert questioned the reasons for the weak investment in sports teams, unlike what is practiced in other countries, where many clubs have been listed on the stock exchange.
In conclusion, Mohamed Akdira highlighted the significant gap between what national teams have achieved, thanks to the royal high directives, and the level of the professional league, calling for intensified efforts in this regard, through unifying thinking on the best way to develop national football across its various divisions.
Overall, the achievements of national football reflect the visionary outlook of King Mohammed VI and solidify the position that Morocco has come to enjoy among the leading countries both continentally and globally, whether in the sports field or in the organizational aspect of sports events.
