BY KUNLE SOLAJA, who was in Morocco.

Excitements continue to build in Morocco as the clock ticks down to the commencement of big sporting activities in the kingdom. Now the Under 17 Africa Cup of Nations is holding in the country.

Next on the card is the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to be held in July and the biggest of them all, the continent’s sports flagship, the Africa Cup of Nations will be held in December and run through to January 2025.

It will be the first to be held in December and to spill into the following year. These offer a special flavour to what Morocco is offering.

Beyond having the best sporting facilities in the continent to host major events, even the World Cup in 2030, the kingdom is preparing to welcome fans, teams, and media from across the continent and beyond.

It is not just for sports, it also opens new business opportunities for people and opens the doors for all to see the explore the kingdom’s tourism potential.

The Moroccan National Tourism Office (MNTO) has launched a dedicated promotional strategy to boost visibility across African markets.

It organised a major familiarization trip for travel professionals from key African countries. The visit also included two pan-African workshops connecting Moroccan operators with counterparts from markets such as Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Angola.

The essence, according to Ahmed Oumaarir, the head of the MNTO, is to co-develop tailored travel packages for those attending AFCON 2025 and also spotlight Morocco’s diverse tourism offering.

Ahmed Oumaarir, the head of the MNTO flanked by Nigerian journalists, Suleiman Uba Gaya (left) and Kunle Solaja.

Already, the kingdom has the potential to make it the ultimate tourism destination in Africa.

There was a coordinated tour of some major tourist centres in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech and Agadir.

Those cities are full of historical and modern monuments and activities worth exploring. Marrakech which has back-to-back staged the annual CAF Awards in 2023 and 2024 offers more than just sports.

Casablanca is the commercial heartbeat of Morocco. It is famous for its white buildings.

The city is the home of two major Moroccan football teams, Raja Casablanca and Wydad Athletic Casablanca. The city hosted the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations final match where Nigeria lost 1-0 to Cameroon.

For the AFCON 2025, the city will host its first match on Christmas Eve when Burkina Faso will face Equatorial Guinea.

The third-place match is one of the eight duels to be hosted by the city. One of the biggest monuments to behold in the city is the Hassan II Mosque, completed in 1993.

It is standing partly over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and has a 210-metre minaret topped with lasers directed toward Mecca.

The majestic Hassan II Mosque is viewed from the Atlantic Ocean.

The Capital City of Rabat will host the opening and final matches of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The famous Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium is undergoing almost complete remodelling.

A major area of interest is the Mohammed VI Football Complex which also houses the Moroccan National Team Football Museum.

An architectural masterpiece, the new offices of Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) are the latest addition to the sumptuous Mohammed VI Football Complex.

Setting the pace in documentation, the football museum stands to inspire current and future footballers while also paying tributes to past heroes.

The serene setting of the place offers good camping and medical facilities for teams. Within the area is also, the new headquarters of the new headquarters of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) which was inaugurated in July 2023.

“The excellent headquarters that we visited and the world-class stadiums and football infrastructure in Morocco are good examples of the success and accomplishments that can be achieved through partnerships between our African Governments and our National Football Associations”, CAF president, Dr. Patrice Motsepe remarked during the inauguration of the complex two years ago.

Hassan Kharbouchi, the director of the Mohammed VI Complex gave an overview of the project and enunciated the vision of King Mohammed VI.

As for the football museum, Zayd Ouakrim, the curator remarked that the complex was to illustrate the glorious past, the glowing present and the promising future.

In Marrakech, it was sheer excitement to experience the hot air balloon flight and float over 300 metres above the land and hills of the city of luxury with its famous medina.  

The hot air balloon flights are spectacular and also refreshing offering a splendid experience.

There were over 30 flights at the time of experiencing the splendid activities. The flight commandant of the hot balloon that I took, Pierre Barre explained the mode of flight and the scenes below as the balloon flew majestically over some of the adjourning hills around Marrakech.

Hot Air balloon pilot, Pierre Barre (left) explains the thrills attendant to the adventure

At the end of the flights which take approximately an hour, tourists are given flight certificates as souvenirs. One of the hot air balloon flight companies has been ballooning over Marrakech’s rural areas, especially Oulad El Garn village since 1990.

According to the information gathered, most of the inhabitants earn their living from the proceeds of the air balloon activities, thus the project is contributing to the locals’ health care and sustainability.

So, AFCON teams and fans of South Africa, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Comoros, Gabon and Sudan have other activities to look out for while in Marrakech. Another activity is biking with the Marrakech Insiders for a different biking experience.

Getting a new biking experience in Marrakech.

Agadir is where the Atlas Mountains blend with sports facility

Agadir, set at the lower part of the range of the Atlas Mountains, is where Egypt, Cameroon, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Gabon will play some of their group matches, harbours some historical monuments that have turned the coastal city into a tourist attraction.

The stadium itself pays tribute to the range of mountains which in some places are snow-capped.

The Stade d’Agadir is shaped like the Atlas Mountains range.

The Grand Stade d’Agadir will host its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations match that pitches Egypt against Zimbabwe on 22 December, where the Atlas Mountains blend with a sports facility.

Visitors will see how a stadium is shaped in the form of a mountain. The exterior colour also blends with the brownish appearance of the mountains.

Agadir is where the ruins of the tragic 1960 earthquake were well documented and turned into a tourist attraction for visitors.

A tour guard offered some heart-wrenching recalls at the peak of the Kasbah, a historic fortress on a hilltop overlooking Agadir.

Pointing to a barren land below, he remarked: “This is where some of our great and grandparents are buried alive.”

The earthquake of 29 February 1960 wiped off about 15,000 people. That was about a third of the city’s population at the time. The earthquake occurred just some 20 minutes to midnight leading to high casualty as most were already in bed.

It is the most destructive and deadliest earthquake in Moroccan history. It destroyed nearly 90 percent of the ancient city of Agadir which historically dates back to 1325.

The ruins of the old city are now preserved with no building allowed as a tribute to the dead. Two years ago, the tourist potential of the place got a boost with the construction of Morocco’s first cable car system.

This offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the city and the Atlantic Ocean.

The passage between the two cable car stations, with disengaged cabins, allows one to view the bay of Agadir.

Passengers embarking and disembarking from cable cars at the base station.

It takes a breathtaking six to seven minutes to move from the base station to the Kasbah, a historic fortress on a hilltop. The Kasbah, meaning “fortress” in Arabic, was built in 1572 to protect the port of Agadir. 

It is a combination of thrill and fear as passengers find themselves dangling some 1,700 metres above the ground.

Each cabin of the 36 cars takes eight passengers hanging over 1,700 meters. The cable car project is part of the national strategy to promote investment in Morocco’s tourism sector. The ambitious project aims to strengthen and enhance existing tourism infrastructure while diversifying its offerings to increase the region’s appeal.

A panoramic view of Agadir from one of the cable cars.

Not done yet, in Agadir are two disused aircraft converted into hanging aeroplane restaurants overlooking the harbour and the majestic Atlantic Ocean.

The aircraft-turned-restaurant is set on hills, just behind the Kasbah. From other sources, Sports Village Square gathered the aeroplane restaurant will open to visitors in June this year, just in time for visitors and teams attending the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in July and December respectively.

Viewed from the Atlantic Ocean in a cruise boat, the hills on which the Kasbah is built have an Arabic inscription. Saad Allah Moudden, a member of the MNTO team translated it thus: “God, the Homeland (Morocco), the King.”

He explained that the inscription which is on the most visible parts of the Atlas range of mountains, forms the motto of Morocco where God is exulted, the Kingdom of Morocco and the King are revered. It is an expression of loyalty and patriotism.

According to Majida Chtioui, the trade manager at MNTO, the next activity is a European roadshow with the aim of targeting countries with strong African diaspora communities, connecting Moroccan tourism operators with specialized travel agents to further promote AFCON-related travel.

Through targeted communication and promotional efforts in key markets, MNTO aims to strengthen Morocco’s tourism appeal and elevate its image far beyond the African continent.

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Kenya goalkeeper Patrick Matasi has been provisionally suspended from all football activity in the country for 90 days amid an investigation into allegations of match manipulation.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) took the decision on Thursday evening, hours after the governing body announced it had launched an investigation into the 37-year-old.

The case arose after a video posted online appeared to show the keeper agreeing to a deal to influence the outcome of a game.

The BBC has not been able to verify the video, which is undated.

Matasi plays for Kenyan Premier League club Kakamega Homeboyz and has won over 30 international caps.

He has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

The owner of Kakamega Homeboyz, Cleophas Shimanyula, said that Matasi denied the allegations.

“He was shocked at what he was seeing in the video and he told me he doesn’t know about match-fixing,” Shimanyula told BBC Sport Africa.

“Kakamega Homeboyz is against any form of match manipulation.”

Matasi’s most recent appearance for Kenya came in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Cameroon last October.

The Harambee Stars lost the game 4-1.

The FKF said it would work with world governing body FIFA, the Confederation of African Football and other “relevant authorities” during its investigation.

-BBC

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The Kenya Football Federation (KFF) has decided to investigate suspicions of match-fixing by the national team against Cameroon in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

The FKF has confirmed that it is aware of videos circulating online involving Kenyan goalkeeper Patrick Matasi, raising suspicions of possible match manipulation.

Prime suspect, Patrick Matasi, the Kenyan goalkeeper.

This amateur video, filmed in secret and viewed by AFP, shows a man discussing with Matasi a plan to fix a match in exchange for money.

Press statement by Football Kenya Federation.

” The FKF defends the integrity of football and has launched an official investigation, in collaboration with FIFA, CAF and other relevant authorities,” the federation said in a statement.

” We reaffirm our policy of tolerance regarding match manipulation and we are committed to preserving the credibility of our competition,” she insisted.

The match in question was lost 4-1 by Kenya to Cameroon in Yaoundé last October, destroying the Harambee Stars’ chances of qualifying for the finals in Morocco next December-January and leading to the resignation of the then coach, Engin Firat.

Matasi has since been omitted from the squad by new coach Benni McCarthy for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Gambia and Gabon in Group F on March 20 and 23.

-Le360 / AFP

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