By Kunle Solaja, Tangier

Covering a major tournament like the Africa Cup of Nations often narrows a journalist’s world to stadiums, training grounds and mixed zones. Yet, in Tangier, football kept nudging me gently toward history. One such nudge led to the modest but evocative Ibn Battuta Museum, dedicated to one of the greatest travellers the world has ever known.

The entrance to the Ibn Battouta Museum

Great thanks to the dedicated team of the Moroccan National Association of Media and Publishers (ANME) who served as tour guides.

Originally, the stadium in Tangier, now called Stade d’Tanger, where Senegal picked their ticket for the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations, was called the Ibn Battouta Stadium, in affectionate memory of a prominent traveller, hundreds of years ago.

Set within the winding alleys of the old medina of Tangier, which is the local market, the museum does not announce itself loudly. Like the journeys of its subject, it invites discovery rather than spectacle.

 For a sports reporter accustomed to floodlights and roaring crowds, stepping into this quiet historical space felt like changing tempo—from a fast-paced counterattack to a patient build-up.

A Compact Museum with Expansive Ideas

The museum’s facilities are simple but thoughtfully curated. Display rooms are compact, clean and well-lit, guiding visitors chronologically through the life and travels of Ibn Battuta. Panels, maps and illustrations trace his astonishing 14th-century journeys across North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia and parts of Europe and China—covering a distance that modern estimates place at over 120,000 kilometres.

Graphic summary of Ibn Battuta’s global journey

Glass cases hold replicas of medieval travel instruments, old manuscripts and artistic representations of cities Ibn Battuta visited.

The walls are lined with maps that resemble early match charts—routes instead of fixtures, continents instead of groups, and seas instead of borders. For someone immersed in tournament logistics, these ancient travel routes felt oddly familiar: planning, endurance, adaptation and survival.

What struck me most was how Ibn Battuta’s travels mirrored the essence of elite sport. He left home at a young age, embracing uncertainty, adapting to foreign cultures, learning new languages, and surviving political upheavals, harsh climates, and long separations. His journey was not a straight path to glory; it was a series of away fixtures played under unfamiliar conditions.

His journey across Europe and Asia, as well as parts of Africa, however, did not take him to the area currently known as Nigeria. When I asked one member of Team ANME, Mamoune Kadiri, he jokingly responded that “Nigeria did not give him a visa.”

The museum highlights his encounters with sultans, scholars, merchants and ordinary people—a testament to how curiosity and openness can turn travel into education. Reading about his years on the road, I could not help but think of modern footballers and journalists who criss-cross continents in pursuit of careers, stories and moments that outlive scorelines.

A Fortress Above the Sea

One of the museum’s quiet surprises lies above. From its upper level, the building cuts the picture of an old fortress, offering commanding views of the sea and the bustling port below.

 View from atop the Ibn Battuta Museum. The seaport where passengers travel to Europe.

There are relics of old machine guns pointing mainly towards the sea. From here, the geography of Tangier reveals itself in full: the coastline stretching outward, ships dotting the water, and the harbour where passengers board boats bound for Europe.

Where Sport Meets History

The museum’s quiet atmosphere encourages reflection. Benches placed strategically allow visitors to sit, read and absorb. There are no digital gimmicks or overwhelming multimedia displays—just history presented with restraint. It fits Tangier perfectly: a city that has always thrived on intersections, exchanges and movement.

Outside, the medina buzzes again—vendors calling, footsteps echoing, life resuming its normal rhythm. Inside, the legacy of a man who turned travel into purpose lingers.

A Different Kind of Matchday Memory

As AFCON headlines continue to be written and rewritten, this visit offered something rarer: perspective. Ibn Battuta’s story reminds us that journeys are not always about destinations or trophies, but about growth, resilience and understanding the world beyond familiar borders.

For a sports reporter in Tangier, the visit to Ibn Battuta’s museum became an unexpected extension of tournament coverage—proof that even during football’s biggest competitions, the road still has lessons to teach. And like the best matches, it is an experience that stays long after the final whistle.

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Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) President Samuel Eto’o has been handed a four-match ban for alleged misconduct during the team’s 2-0 defeat by hosts Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations last Friday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said in a statement.

Eto’o was reportedly seen making an angry gesture over refereeing decisions in the presence of CAF President Patrice Motsepe.

Players from both sides also jostled each other, and CAF said on Sunday it had opened investigations into violent confrontations during AFCON matches.

Players from both sides also jostled each other, and CAF said on Sunday it had opened investigations into violent confrontations during AFCON matches.

-Reuters

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By Kunle Solaja.

Fifty years after lifting their only Africa Cup of Nations title in Ethiopia, Morocco stands on the brink of history once again, their latest push for continental glory underpinned by years of sustained capital and human investment in football and sport-wide development.

The Atlas Lions will contest Sunday’s AFCON final in Rabat with the chance to claim a second continental crown, their first since 1976, when they conquered Africa in Addis Ababa. This time, the setting is home soil, and the occasion represents not just a footballing milestone but the culmination of a long-term national strategy.

Morocco’s return to the summit conversation has not been accidental. Over the past two decades, the country has invested heavily in modern stadiums, elite training facilities and grassroots structures, with football placed at the heart of a broader sports and youth-development agenda.

The establishment of the Mohammed VI Football Academy, now widely regarded as one of Africa’s finest talent factories, has become a symbol of that vision, producing technically sound players who now form the spine of the national team.

Those investments have been matched by a clear focus on human capital. Moroccan coaches, administrators and sports scientists have benefited from structured education pathways, while players have been exposed early to professional environments at home and abroad. The result is a generation comfortable on the biggest stages, from the Africa Cup of Nations to the FIFA World Cup, where Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals in Qatar in 2022 redefined perceptions of African football.

At this tournament, Morocco’s progress has been built less on flair and more on discipline, efficiency and collective belief. Their semi-final victory over Nigeria, settled by penalties after a tense stalemate, highlighted both their resilience and the depth of preparation that now characterises the side.

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has embodied that evolution, combining European-honed experience with calm authority, while players such as Achraf Hakimi and Youssef En-Nesyri reflect the blend of technical quality and tactical intelligence cultivated over years of structured development.

Hosting the tournament has further amplified Morocco’s ambitions. The refurbished PrinceMoulay Abdellah Stadium and other venues have showcased the country’s readiness for major global events, reinforcing its credentials ahead of future international competitions.

Standing in Morocco’s path are Senegal, the 2021 champions and arguably the most complete side on the continent.

Yet for Morocco, the final represents more than a single match. It is a chance to validate decades of planning, spending and belief — and to close a 50-year circle that began with their pioneering success in Ethiopia.

Win or lose, Morocco’s presence in the final signals a nation that has aligned its vision with investment. Victory on Sunday would not only deliver a second AFCON title but also serve as the ultimate return on a long-term commitment to building football from the ground up.

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