Governing Bodies
A Year of Global Excellence for Moroccan Sports
Moroccan sports reached new heights in 2023, securing triumphs and admiration on global and continental stages in a wide range of disciplines.
In 2023, Moroccan athletes have excelled on both continental and international stages, highlighting the nation’s prowess across diverse sporting disciplines. From the football fields to the athletic arenas, Moroccan athletes have in the past year consistently demonstrated exceptional skill and determination.
These triumphs not only underscore individual dedication but also highlight the robust sports infrastructure supporting excellence in Morocco, fostering a sense of pride and unity across the nation.
The 2023 Moroccan Football Revolution
Morocco achieved a historic milestone at the very end of 2022, etching its name in football history as the first African or Arab nation to advance to the semi-finals of a World Cup.
The remarkable journey in Qatar unfolded with triumphant victories over heavyweight opponents such as Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, showcasing prowess and determination.
The Moroccan team’s stellar performance throughout the tournament captivated global audiences, culminating in a fourth-place finish and a riveting semi-final encounter that unfortunately ended in defeat against France, the former world champions.
In October, the Moroccan Royal Palace endorsed the joint hosting of the 2030 World Cup by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal. King Mohammed VI hailed this as a historic step forward for Moroccan football and thanked the three countries’ footballing authorities for their cooperation.
Morocco has also demonstrated prowess in hosting significant continental sports events, such as the Women’s U23 Africa Cup of Nations. Additionally, the nation successfully secured the hosting rights for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025.
Under the leadership of Fouzi Lekjaa since 2017, the Moroccan Football Federation has achieved these milestones through dedicated efforts, including ongoing reconstruction projects and the development of the Grand Casablanca Stadium with a seating capacity of approximately 99,000 seats.
Morocco’s national football teams, in all categories, have achieved remarkable success on both the global and continental stages.
The women’s national team, the Atlas Lionesses, made history by securing qualification for the round of 16 in their debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia.
The Moroccan U-17 team reached the last eight of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023, their best result to date. The Olympic squad triumphed at the U23 Africa Cup of Nations, while the Sporting Casablanca women’s team reached the final of the African Champions League.
Meanwhile, the senior Atlas Lions Lions were the first national team to qualify for the final phase of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in Cote d’Ivoire at the beginning of next year.
Morocco has notably maintained its standing as the 13th-best national football team in the world and continues to lead both African and Arab countries in the global rankings, outranking countries like Senegal and Egypt.
At the 2023 CAF Awards in Marrakech, Moroccan coaches and players were honored in several categories. The national team, led by coach Walid Reguragui, won National Team of the Year. Yassine Bounou was awarded Goalkeeper of the Year, while Hakimi and Amrabat were named in the Best Men XI.
In the women’s category, Fatima Tagnaout received the Interclub Player of the Year for her exceptional performances with both the national team and her club AS FAR, earning her a spot in the Best Woman XI. Additionally, Nesryene El Chad, a 20-year-old defender playing for Lille OSC at club level, won the CAF Women’s Young Player of the Year award.
Also this year, Morocco’s short-statured national football team made a significant impact in the category’s global tournament and contributed to a remarkable revolution in the field of football for people with dwarfism. The team achieved a remarkable feat by reaching the quarter-finals in the category’s inaugural 2023 World Cup held in Argentina, marking a historic milestone for this unique sporting event.
Aside from football, the year 2023 has been a great year for Morocco in other sporting disciplines. This includes athleticism, boxing, taekwondo, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Karate, and many other fields.
Moroccan boxing in global stages
The Moroccan boxing season commenced with the successful 6th edition of the Mohammed VI International Boxing Trophy in Marrakech, where the national team, including both men and women, achieved remarkable success by taking home one gold and three silver medals.
Khadija El Mardi won the world title in the -81 kg category in New Delhi, with this historic achievement making her the first woman from both the Arab and African regions to attain this prestigious honor.
The season finale for Moroccan boxing unfolded gloriously at the African Championship in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where the national team emerged victorious with an impressive haul of 8 gold medals and 2 silver medals.
Moroccan Taekwondo earns global acclaim
Like their compatriots in other sports, Moroccan taekwondo athletes have left an indelible mark on the international stage, securing top positions. Starting at the Arab Cup in Dubai with 13 medals, their success continued at the African Nations Championship in Côte d’Ivoire, earning 11 medals, including 7 golds.
The excellence of Moroccan taekwondo has transcended regional boundaries and earned global recognition over the past year. Notably, the Moroccan women’s and mixed teams secured a prestigious silver medal at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in Korea.
In adaptive taekwondo, Moroccan champions excelled at the Grand Prix in Mexico, standing on the podium twice, showcasing their skill and determination.
Soufiane Bekkali takes Morocco to the top of the world
Moroccan race runners joined their compatriots in other sporting disciplines in proudly representing their country on the regional and global stages. They too achieved global success throughout the past months, with the notable point being Morocco’s triumph at the World Championships in Budapest.
Morocco featured honorably at the global championships in the Hungarian capital, with Soufiane Bekkali once again impressing the world with consecutive gold medals in the 3000m steeplechase and Fatima Zahrae Kerdadi taking bronze in the marathon.
Morocco hosted the Mohammed VI International Meeting, where Bekkali set a world best and a new meeting record in the 3000m steeplechase (7:56.68). Meanwhile, at the 9th Francophone Games in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco set a record with 57 medals—22 gold, 16 silver, and 19 bronze.
Moroccan Muay Thai’s Double Triumph in 2023
Moroccan Muay Thai has also earned acclaim on the international stage. At the World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand, the team secured 10 medals. The U23 selection also excelled, claiming the top position at the World Cup in Turkey in 2023 with a total of 10 medals.
Further solidifying their dominance, the national Muay Thai team triumphed at the Mediterranean Championships in Loutraki, Greece, securing an impressive haul of 7 gold medals.
All of these impressive performances and historic triumphs in various sporting disciplines on the regional and global stage have made 2023 a bountiful year for Moroccan sports. From historic football performances and Muay Thai triumphs to moments in athletics and taekwondo, Moroccan athletes have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with in their respective categories.
As Moroccans revel in these victories, they serve as a unifying force and a testament to the nation’s growing prominence in the world of sports. With the promise of continued success, Morocco is gradually emerging as a formidable contender, poised for even greater achievements in the future.
-Morocco World News
The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) is launching the CAF Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Academy for the 54 CAF Member Associations – a move that is aimed at elevating the standard of officiating in Africa.
Following CAF’s recent hosting of the most successful Africa Cup of Nations that saw the quality of officiating being singled out, CAF is building onto this success with the innovative academy set to be rolled out between September and October 2024.
The CAF VAR Academy will train Elite Referees across the continent for international competitions and national championships on the use of VAR and ensure that Africa continues to produce elite referees, as seen in recent times.
CAF Technical Development Director, Raul Chipenda said the VAR Academy Programme is a practical step by CAF to improve the standard of match officiating in Africa and ensure that African referees are equipped to compete against the best in the world.
“In the last few months, CAF has had a strong bias in upskilling match officials on the usage of VAR that is why at the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, our officials were rated amongst the best. But it does not help having a small group, we need a big pool.
“Officiating plays a critical role in the development of African football, as evidently seen in the success of the recent AFCON. CAF actively oversees and supports a number of football development programmes and competitions across Africa and with that said, it is equally vital that match officials across Africa are adequately equipped with the latest officiating technology, means and education in order to remain on par with the existing pool of officials on the continent”, said Chipenda.
The CAF VAR Academy, which will be attended by elite referees across CAF’s 54 Member Associations will also be the first step in introducing VAR across the continent.
As part of its roll out programme, CAF will be embarking on a continental drive of conducting CAF VAR Academy workshops across its Zonal Unions in the next few months where 180 referees are expected to be reached.
CAF VAR ACADEMY 2024 WORKSHOP DATES:
ZONAL UNION DATE HOST NATION WAFU B 01 – 08 September Cote d’Ivoire COSAFA 11 – 19 September South Africa UNAF 22 – 27 September Egypt CECAFA 30 September – 05 October Tanzania WAFU A 12 – 17 October Senegal
-CAF
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria football governing body, the NFF is 91 years today and just nine years to clock a century. Unfortunately, the body does not believe in its age, but hold on to a faulty belief that it is 79 years old, but with no actual birthday.
Founded 1945 is gleefully displayed on the crest of the NFF. Yet, it is not possible to pin point which date in 1945 the body was founded in 1945. Sports Village Square’s research unveils documented as well as verifiable evidences that what is today’s NFF was founded in Lagos as NFA on 21 August 1933.
No official of the NFF has come forward to defend their claim of the body being ‘founded in 1945’.
Their assumption emanates from the fact that the national cup competition, now called President Federation Cup, began in 1945 as ‘Governor’s Cup’.
This itself is a distortion of historical fact on Nigerian football as the first three editions of the competition was not even organised by the then NFA but by the Lagos and Districts Amateur Football Association (LDAFA) which is now Lagos Football Association.
Verified archival materials have confirmed that the Nigerian football governing body was founded on Monday 21 August 1933 at house number 42, Broad Street Lagos. The building still exist, even with the same address.
Also, all the facts on the actual foundation date of the football governing body still exist and verifiable at the Nigeria National Archives at the University of Ibadan and also at The FA offices in London.
Despite overwhelming and documented evidences, it has been very hard, if not impossible, to get official recognition for the foundation date of the NFF.
The foundation meeting was held that day at the 42 Broad Street, in Lagos. The building which still exists today was then known as Health Office.
The founding officials were: Henry A. Porter as President while three Vice Presidents were appointed.
They were: Frederick Baron Mulford, Sir Adeyemo Alakija and Dr. Isaac Oluwole. The Secretary/Treasurer was James Mead who worked at UAC in Lagos.
The report of the foundation was published in the 25 August 1933 edition of the Daily Times.
Their first Annual General Meeting, as reported by the Daily Times of February 22 1934, took place in Lagos on Monday 19 February 1934.
The meeting decided to seek affiliation with The FA in England. A check by the Sports Village Square at the offices of The FA in London was very revealing. The minutes of meeting of The FA on 4 June 1934 shows under item 10 that: “The Nigeria Football Association was admitted to membership under Rule 5 of the Rules of Association.”
The affiliation was also reported in the Nigerian Daily Times edition of 14 September 1934. Reputable FA in England could not have registered a non-existing body.
The various regimes of the NFA/NFF since 2003 have found it difficult to accept and effect the actual foundation date of the body. They are more concerned about a perceived global backlash they could receive for just realising the actual birth date of the Nigerian football governing body.
Regarding the assumption that the national competition started in 1945 and linking that to the foundation of the football governing body is an assumption based on fallacy.
Documented evidences discovered by Sports Village Square point to the fact that the Governor’s Cup was not a product of the then NFA but that of the Lagos and Districts Amateur Football Association (LDAFA) which is today known as the Lagos FA, the oldest football association in Nigeria having been established in 1932 by Henry A. Potter, the same man who founded the NFA the following year.
One day, it shall come to pass when the true foundation date will be acknowledged.
There have been seven presidents of CAF since the continental body was created in 1957. Of the six former heads of the confederation, only Ahmad of Madagascar is alive.
As the sixth and just one-term president, Ahmad who recently completed his reduced ban of two years by FIFA/CAS is one of the dignitaries attending the funeral of Issa Hayatou in Cameroon this Friday.
Arrival of Issa Hayatou’s body from France
Funeral service for Hayatou at the Yaounde airport when the body arrived from Paris on Thursday
Long-time friend, Constant Omari arriving Yaounde for Hayatou’s funeral
Apart from other football chiefs – FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his CAF counterpart, Patrice Motsepe, also in attendance is Congolese Constant Omari who had been a long term ally of Hayatou.
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