By Simon Asare
Casablanca (Morocco), Feb. 7, GNA – Unraveling Morocco’s football success stories over the past years could be attributed to its massive investments in football infrastructure, which is continuously paying dividends.
Facilities such as the Mohammed VI Football Complex and the various stadia across the cities come with state-of-the-art technologies that make the sport of football a beautiful one.
The Kingdom of Morocco does indeed love its football, and the recent performance at the 2022 World Cup as well as in club competition makes them a force to be reckon with.
During a media tour of some stadiums and other sporting facilities in Morocco, some top African sports journalists have been stunned by the country’s ongoing football infrastructure developments.
Saddick Adams, one of the topmost journalists from Ghana, was perplexed by the football infrastructure in Morocco and believes they were ready to host any global football competition.
“These facilities are world-standard and in great shape, and I believe Morocco is ready to host any tournament, including the World Cup. They have incredible transportation and communication facilities.
“Hosting the 2022 Club World Cup and other past tournaments alone is testament to the fact that Morocco has the capacity to host the 2025 African Cup of Nations as they intend to,” he said.
Adams who is popularly referred to as “Sports Obama” further stated that the yardstick being set by Morocco should be a blueprint for other African countries as we quest to do well at international competitions.
Mr Solaja Kunle, a veteran Nigerian sports journalist and football historian, said the facility tour had been an eye-opener for him and that he wants other African countries to learn from the Morocco example.
“This tour has revealed to me that most African countries don’t have sports facilities that are standard. These stadiums were not built to win the African Cup of Nations bid but to promote football and ensure they dominate African football.
“The facilities we have seen here have shown us why they got those results at the 2022 World Cup. It was not a fluke; it was something they had planned. Morocco has always set the pace in the past. They were the first African country to progress to the next round of the World Cup and also the first to top a World Group,” he stated.
Mr. Kunle stated that this had taken years of planning due to the facilities they have and the fact that, unlike other African countries, they have a good maintenance culture.
“I think many African countries have to understudy Morocco to see how they do things. We can use this as a template to help grow African football,” he said.
Mthokozisi Dube, a South African sports journalist, emphasised the importance of African governments investing in football infrastructure if Africa is to dominate world football in the near future.
“The stadiums we have seen here are inspiring for footballers who want to play football. Morocco has done very well in terms of investing in facilities, and their performances in recent international tournaments are not surprising.
“Most African football talents slip away due to a lack of proper facilities, which often get them injured, so if other African countries want to succeed in their football, they ought to invest in their sporting infrastructure,” he stated.
GNA