Morocco plans to expand its airport capacity to 80 million passengers by 2030 from 38 million currently, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said.

Akhannouch told members of parliament that the plan is part of Morocco’s preparations to co-host the 2030 soccer World Cup with Spain and Portugal and promote tourism.

Casablanca’s airport capacity will be expanded to 23.3 million passengers, while tourist hubs Marrakech and Agadir will have a capacity of 14 million passengers and 6.3 million respectively by 2030, he said.

Morocco received a record 15.9 million tourists in the first 11 months of this year, surpassing the total in the entire previous year thanks to more air routes, according to tourism ministry figures.

Morocco is also working to extend its high-speed train network to Marrakech before the World Cup, and further south to Agadir.

The rail operator also aims to expand its network to double the number of cities it serves to 43, or 87% of the Moroccan population, by 2040.

The prime minister also mentioned the expansion and renovation of 45 stadiums and training sites in the six cities that are planned to host the World Cup, in addition to the construction of a new stadium with 115,000 seats near Casablanca.

Investments in stadium construction and expansion would cost Morocco up to 5 billion dirhams ($500 million), the government has said.

Morocco is also hosting the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament in 2025.

-Reuters

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England’s FA decided to back Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup after being reassured by answers they received from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) during a meeting last month, chair Debbie Hewitt said on Friday.

Global soccer governing body FIFA officially awarded the World Cup to the Kingdom on Wednesday, with the sole bid for the tournament confirmed by acclamation.

A number of rights organisations strongly criticised FIFA after the announcement, pointing to Saudi’s human rights record.

The Kingdom has invested heavily in sport over the last few years, although critics, including women’s rights groups and members of the LGBTQ community, allege it is using its Public Investment Fund to sportswash its human rights record.

The country denies accusations of human rights abuses and says it protects its national security through its laws.

Prior to Saudi’s confirmation as World Cup hosts, the FA said it had met with the SAFF in November.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision – I think it was a very thorough process. We spent a lot of time with the Saudis, understanding their approach to the tournament,” Hewitt told the BBC.

“We asked a lot of questions, they gave us a lot of time and they gave us a lot of commitments and I think the important thing is that we will now work with them over the next 10 years leading up to the tournament to make sure that those commitments are delivered – from both sides.

“We were reassured by the answers that we got and think this is about a partnership. A tournament is not just about the host. A tournament is about those who go along and play their part in it and that’s what we want to do.”

England’s FA was among a group of soccer federations who had planned to wear “OneLove” armbands to protest against discrimination during the World Cup in Qatar, but those plans were scrapped after FIFA threatened sporting sanctions.

-Reuters

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

The wait has been long. But it has proven worth it. Morocco, Spain, and Portugal have been officially designated the 2030 FIFA World Cup hosts.

For Morocco, it has been a wait that almost spans 40 years. Since 1988, the Kingdom of Morocco has been applying to host the biggest single sports event, the FIFA World Cup.

At the time, it was for hosting the 1994 edition, which was eventually awarded to the US.  Morocco contested with the duo of Brazil and the US.

All indications pointed to the fact that the US was the anointed candidate.  The announcement was initially to be made on 30 June 1988. But on 3 March 1988, FIFA announced a delay, shifting to a new date of 4 July 1988.

The handwriting was clear on the wall, as the new date was the 212th anniversary of the US independence. The designation of the hosting right appeared designed as an icing on the anniversary cake.

So at Movenpick Hotel in Zurich, the US was proclaimed the host for the 1994 World Cup despite the country not having a football culture and having not even qualified for the World Cup for 38 years – since 1950.

Morocco again put up a candidacy for the 1998 edition. Again the bid failed when on 3 July 1992, the then 19-member FIFA Executive Committee voted 12-7 in favour of France in a two-horse race with Morocco.

The kingdom made a third attempt to host the 2006 World Cup. The decision on the host was taken on 6 July 2000. It involved four bidding nations – Germany, South Africa and Morocco after Brazil had withdrawn three days earlier.

 Three rounds of voting were required, each round eliminating the nation with the fewest votes. Morocco with two votes out of obtainable 23 was first to be eliminated.

Then came the bid for 2010, which was restricted to Africa. FIFA selected South Africa over Egypt and Morocco to become the first African nation to host the World Cup.

With the 2014 World Cup designated only to South American candidates, Morocco had to look forward to another time especially as the principle of rotation already excluded Africa and South America for the 2018 and 2022 editions.

Two bids to host the 2026 World Cup were submitted to FIFA – a joint bid by Canada, Mexico and the United States, and one by Morocco.

For the fourth time, Morocco lost out. At the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow on 13 June 2018, the joint bid was selected by 134 votes to Morocco’s 65.

Morocco has waited patiently and will be hosting with Spain and Portugal, which is easily the major milestone edition. The 2030 World Cup is the centennial edition marking the 100 years of the World Cup.

It will be the first World cross-cultural edition margining the Arab and Western cultures and also the first to be held across two continents. The waiting by Morocco has paid off.

The kingdom has made a significant impact and contributed immensely to World Cup culture. Easily remembered is the country’s mark at the last World Cup as the first African and Arab nation to reach the last four and with a home-grown coach.

Beyond that, Morocco became the first African country to earn a point at the World Cup when the Atlas Lions held Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw at Mexico 1970 edition.

In 1986, again in Mexico, Morocco became the first African team to top a World Cup group and also the first to get beyond the group stage. Additionally, Morocco became the second team outside Europe and the Americas to cross the group stage. North Korea in 1966 was the first.

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