From Saturday 1 February, the Moroccan Football Museum will open its doors to the public. The museum, a first of its kind, contributes to the preservation of the national football memory and enhances its historical legacy by highlighting the sport’s most significant achievements, stars, and shining moments.

It is located in the heart of the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Maâmora, near Rabat. The museum highlights His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s long-standing commitment to conserving and enhancing Morocco’s historical, cultural, and sports heritage.

This architectural masterpiece, which covers an area of 2,100 square meters, allows visitors the opportunity to view artefacts, photos, and videos, in addition to a library containing books on Moroccan and international football.

This museum intends to shed light on the history of national football, which began in 1906, by showcasing images and football-related objects, allowing all generations, particularly young people, to learn about Moroccan football players’ exploits.

It is the result of a collaboration between the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and the National Museum Foundation, which signed an agreement in March 2022 to create and operate it.

Its construction began in March 2021; and comprises a permanent exhibition area, a temporary exhibition space, a 42-seat exhibition hall, a VIP hall, a documentation hall, and other facilities.

According to the Morocco news agency, MAP,  the museum  offers its visitors a permanent exhibition with six spaces that focus on the rich history and memorable moments of Moroccan football:

The First Space, “The Enlightened Royal Vision,” presents a unique vision founded by three monarchs who transformed football into a distinct medium of expression for the Moroccan people.

The Second Space:   “Land of Pioneers” Celebrating Morocco’s first remarkable victories while introducing the globe to national football stars and icons.

The Third Space is called the “Land of Excellence.” Examines the incredible exploits of national teams and clubs from the 1950s to the present.

The Fourth Space: “Celebrity Hall” It is a celebration of those who have had an impact on Moroccan football, whether as players, coaches, referees, or managers.

The Fifth Space “Hospitable Land” offers a journey through the memories of the most important sporting events staged by Morocco, whether they were cups, championships, or friendly matches. It also notes important visits from football figures.

The Sixth Space, “Land of Passion,” commemorates Moroccan citizens’ enthusiasm and love for football, as seen through historical events. In addition to the permanent museum, there is a temporary exhibition where visitors may learn about the paths of Moroccan national teams and clubs.

It will also include a Research and Documentation Sports Centre assigned the role of researching the history of national football, including all documents, images, cups, badges, and clothes, to preserve and display it in general, and particularly for young people, using new technology, primarily digital ones, to promote Moroccan football at the regional, continental, and international levels.

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• Summary

• Seven candidates seek to replace Thomas Bach
• IOC boss is most powerful person in global sport
• Sebastian Coe highest-profile name of aspirants
• IOC has huge revenues and dominates decision-making

Only a few people around the world know the name Thomas Bach and even fewer can rattle off those of the seven candidates out to replace him in March after 12 years as president of the International Olympic Committee.

Yet despite that low profile, there is no bigger or more influential job in sport, and Bach’s successor will wield extraordinary political and financial clout across every country in the world.

When the IOC’s 100-plus members, who include billionaires, global captains of industry, federation chiefs and royalty, go to the ballot in Greece on March 20 they will be effectively deciding on the direction much of the world of sport will take for the next eight years.

World Athletics chief and former Olympic 1,500 metres champion Sebastian Coe is the biggest name of the seven candidates.

Standing against him are Zimbabwe’s sports minister and former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry, the late former IOC president’s son Juan Antonio Samaranch, and international cycling chief David Lappartient. Completing the lineup are Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, international gymnastics federation head Morinari Watanabe and Olympic newcomer and multi-millionaire Johan Eliasch.

They will each present their case to replace 71-year-old Bach to the membership in Lausanne on Thursday, ahead of a final two-month push of behind-the-scenes lobbying.

RICHEST ORGANISATION

The IOC is by far the biggest and richest sports organisation in the world, dwarfing even world soccer’s ruling body FIFA, and wields its influence over almost every major international federation, new sports and national Olympic Committees.

With multi-billion revenues from sponsors and broadcasters, it is far from limited to just hosting the summer and winter Olympics. The IOC has a direct or indirect say in every major international decision on sport, whether financial, political or structural.

Sports do not only depend on Olympic funding over the Games’ four-year cycle, they are also reliant on the Olympic spotlight. New sports battle for Olympic recognition which brings a significant boost in publicity and awareness and can trigger new streams of revenue to fund growth.

In Bach’s 12 years in charge, the German lawyer also developed close ties with many political leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country hosted the 2024 Olympics, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin was the first to congratulate Bach immediately after his election back in 2013, calling minutes after the vote as his country prepared to host the Sochi Winter Olympics, with an unprecedented cost of $51 billion.

Sochi was subsequently tarnished by revelations of a massive state-backed doping system in Russia that turned into the biggest international drugs scandal in decades and forced the country’s athletes to compete as neutrals in several Olympics.

Dealing with Russia, and the issue of trans and DSD (differences in sexual development) athletes in sport, featured in most of the candidates’ manifestos. But anyone thinking they will be primarily judged on their ability to bring peace and harmony, and promote sport and health around the world, is sadly deluded.

“In this presidential election everyone votes for themselves. It is about money. The share for each stakeholder. It is no surprise that there are four federation presidents campaigning,” an international federation chief, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

“Maybe it would have been more effective if there was only one representing the federations. But everyone has their own agenda in this election.”

ROBUST FINANCES

The IOC collected revenues of $2.295 billion from its top sponsors for the period 2017-2021, the second-biggest source of income for the Olympic movement, with broadcasters paying $4.544 billion over the same period.

Bach’s departure comes with the organisation in a financially robust position, having secured $7.3 billion for 2025-28 and $6.2 billion for 2029-2032. More deals are expected for both four-year periods.

The IOC says it pumps about 90% of its revenues back into sports with payments to each Olympic federation, to national Olympic committees and athletes’ scholarships among others.

Many of the smaller federations depend on that IOC contribution to get through the four years until the next Olympics.

More than half a billion dollars was split among the federations from the Tokyo Olympics, with the share from the Paris 2024 Games to top $600 million.

Top earners like athletics, gymnastics and swimming get more than $50 million. National Olympic Committees also received a total of $540 million after the Tokyo Olympics.

The IOC covers 50% of the costs of running the World Anti-Doping Agency which it helped to set up more than 25 years ago.

Much of what cash goes where, though, is down to the president’s personal Olympic vision and in a matter of weeks that extraordinary global power is about to change hands.

-Reuters

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The Executive Committee of CAF has opened the bidding process for two age-regulated competitions as well as the Women’s Champions League.

At their meeting on Monday ahead of the final draw of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, the body announced that countries can now bid for the hosting of the Women Champions League editions for 2025, 2026 and 2027.

 The competition was hosted back-to-back by Morocco in 2023 and 2024.

The bidding process also extends to the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations for 2027, 2029 and 2031.

Also in search of future hosts is the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations. The editions open to bid are those of 2026, 2027 and 2028.

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