By Kunle Solaja.

The President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, has detailed how a long-term national vision driven by youth development, governance reforms, infrastructure expansion and strategic planning transformed Morocco from a nation ranked 81^st  in the world in 2014 into one of global football’s emerging superpowers.

Morocco currently sits atop Africa and 8^th in the world, indicating a sharp rise in the past 12 years since Lekjaa took over the administration of football in the kingdom.

Speaking in an extensive interview published by the Paris-based French football magazine Onze Mondial, Lekjaa traced the roots of Morocco’s football revolution not to his assumption of office in 2014, but to a broader national development agenda initiated under King Mohammed VI.

According to him, football development became deeply integrated into Morocco’s wider socio-economic strategy, with young people positioned at the centre of the country’s national growth ambitions.

“The Project Started Before Me”

Lekjaa insisted that the transformation of Moroccan football was not the product of one administration alone.

“In reality, things did not start in 2014 when I took over the presidency of the Federation,” he explained.

He revealed that a major turning point came in 2008 during Morocco’s National Sports Conferences, where King Mohammed VI laid out a comprehensive roadmap covering professionalisation, governance reforms and structural organisation of sports.

The 2008 National Sports Conference, which is also known as the 2nd National Sports Assizes, was held on October 24–25, 2008, in Skhirat.

Experts informed the Sports Village Square that the conference stands as the foundational turning point for Morocco’s modern sports renaissance.

That framework, Lekjaa said, became the foundation upon which modern Moroccan football was built.

Today, Morocco sits among the elite nations of world football after its historic semi-final run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach that stage of the competition.

Even now, the ambition is higher. At the majestic Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, moments before Morocco’s national team dismantled Niger Republic last September to become the first African team to pick a World Cup qualifying ticket, a banner stretched proudly across the stands: “This time, the trophy is our dream.”

It wasn’t mere fan bravado or a dream. It was a declaration rooted in vision, planning, and national purpose, the same qualities that turned Morocco into the first African and Arab country to reach the World Cup semi-finals at Qatar 2022.

While other African nations celebrated qualification or occasional victories, Morocco quietly built an empire.

From the visionary royal blueprint in 2008 to the creation of the Mohammed VI Football Academy in 2009 and the world-class Mohammed VI Football Centre a decade later, Morocco’s rise has been deliberate, scientific, and inclusive.

Fouzi Lekjaa leads a delegation of King Mohammed VI on an inspection tour of the Mohammed VI Football Complex.

Youth Development At The Core

Lekjaa repeatedly stressed that youth empowerment remains the heartbeat of Morocco’s football project.

He disclosed that thousands of Moroccan boys and girls now combine football with formal education through nationwide sports-study programmes, especially in women’s football and club academies.

According to him, the goal goes far beyond producing elite players.

He said the system was designed to give young people educational opportunities, discipline, hope and life values rooted in sport.

“These values are at the very heart of football and our actions: fair play, tolerance, respect for others, and respect for the rules,” Lekjaa told Onze Mondial.

He added that even players who fail to reach the highest professional level still benefit from education and pathways into other careers connected to sport and society.

Mohammed VI Academy Identified As Turning Point

Lekjaa identified the inauguration of the Mohammed VI Football Academy as the symbolic beginning of Morocco’s modern football renaissance.

However, he described the Qatar 2022 World Cup as the moment when Morocco’s football ecosystem fully believed that global success was achievable.

“From that moment on, everyone gained the conviction that it was possible,” he said.

He added that Morocco had moved away from merely participating in major tournaments and had embraced a “mindset of conquest” focused on winning titles and remaining permanently among football’s elite.

Avoiding The “Roller-Coaster” Decline

Asked whether Morocco aims to remain consistently among the world’s top 10 nations and avoid the dramatic fluctuations experienced by countries such as Italy, Lekjaa acknowledged the challenges of elite player development.

He noted that no academy can produce top-level players in massive quantities, but argued that expanding the talent base increases the chances of sustained success.

The federation, he explained, focuses equally on education, ethics and character formation alongside technical football training.

Football As Soft Power

Lekjaa also openly described football as an instrument of Moroccan influence and soft power on the international stage.

He said Morocco’s geographical and historical position between Africa and Europe, combined with its Arab-Islamic and Amazigh heritage, gave football added diplomatic significance.

“The more sporting results progress — from 75th in the world to the top 10 — the more the country benefits from this global influence,” he explained.

EVOSPORT And Club Development

One of the key pillars highlighted by Lekjaa was the creation of EVOSPORT, a structure designed to strengthen youth football development between the ages of 10 and 17 — a segment he claimed had long been neglected by Moroccan clubs.

He explained that the federation’s National Technical Directorate now establishes unified training content, selects coaches and educators, and ensures clubs align with national development standards.

The system also includes financial incentives linked to professional contracts and future player transfers.

According to Lekjaa, clubs remain the primary beneficiaries of the development structure while operating within a nationally coordinated model.

New Mentality After Qatar 2022

Lekjaa said Morocco’s World Cup success fundamentally altered expectations across every national team category.

He revealed that younger Moroccan teams now enter competitions aiming not merely to compete but to surpass the achievements of the senior national side.

He pointed to Morocco’s youth successes — including a U20 world title and strong U17 performances — as evidence that a culture of excellence has taken root.

“Today, losing narrowly to Brazil in a quarter-final is considered a disappointment,” he said, illustrating the dramatic rise in standards.

AFCON “Changed Dimension”

Discussing the recent Africa Cup of Nations, Lekjaa described the tournament as a breakthrough for African football.

He praised the infrastructure, stadium quality, security arrangements and logistical organisation, noting that matches were spread across nine stadiums with only one game staged per venue daily.

Lekjaa also highlighted what he described as a major economic leap for the competition.

Quoting official CAF figures, he claimed the tournament generated more than $300 million in net revenue, compared to around $5 million in Cameroon and about $80 million in Côte d’Ivoire during previous editions.

“The Africa Cup of Nations has changed in dimension, rhythm, and level,” he declared.

Controversial CAF Ruling

Addressing CAF’s administrative ruling awarding Morocco victory via forfeit in a disputed competition involving Senegal, Lekjaa maintained that Morocco simply followed legal procedures.

He insisted the Kingdom acted with restraint despite disagreeing with earlier rulings and emphasised that Morocco would ultimately respect the final verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“If the decision is favourable to us, we will be happy. Otherwise, we will congratulate our Senegalese brothers,” he said.

Responds To Claims Of Moroccan Influence In CAF

Lekjaa also rejected social media suggestions that Morocco exerts excessive influence within African football governance.

He argued that Morocco had, in fact, spent decades outside CAF’s power structures before recently reclaiming an active role consistent with its investment and contribution to African football.

“Morocco cannot be blamed for seeking to pull African football upwards,” he said.

Coaching Changes “Not A Risk”

The federation boss dismissed concerns about changing coaches shortly before major tournaments.

He cited the appointment of Walid Regragui before Qatar 2022 as evidence that Morocco’s system prioritises continuity over individual dependence.

Current coach Mohamed Ouahbi, he explained, has long been embedded within Morocco’s youth structure and understands the federation’s philosophy.

The Lamine Yamal Debate

Lekjaa also addressed the highly debated issue of dual-national players, particularly Lamine Yamal.

He stressed that Morocco never pressures players over international allegiance and regards all players of Moroccan heritage as full Moroccans regardless of where they live.

In one of the interview’s most striking remarks, Lekjaa said:

“I do not know of any Spaniard named ‘Jamal’ in the history of Spanish football.”

However, he added that Morocco still takes pride in seeing players of Moroccan origin contribute to other major football nations such as Spain.

For Lekjaa, Morocco’s football rise is ultimately about much more than trophies.

It is, he insisted, a long-term civilisational and developmental project designed to empower youth, strengthen national identity and permanently establish Morocco among the world’s leading football nations.

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