The Moroccan Football Association is making great strides in developing the country’s young talents under the leadership of Fouzi Lekjaa.
The development plan started with the opening of the Mohammed VI Football Academy, which covers 30 hectares and boasts the latest facilities with FIFA standards in 2019.
Director of Mohammed VI Football Complex in Morocco, Hassan Kharbouch has been speaking on Morocco’s plan for football talent, identification, development and the way forward for Moroccan football.
The Moroccan Football Association has introduced a sports studies program with the Ministry of National Education to create school structures across the country that can accommodate boys and girls who play football all the time.
“We have a program that sees our young girls (U15 &U17) go to school and play as well. We have a school in Morocco where we house them, get them to train and study as well”, Mr. Hassan Kharbouch told reporters.
A team has been set up to oversee the development of talents across the country’s 12 regions, starting with talent detection, with young players attending club academies.
The best players from these regions go to the centre of excellence, which has coaching and medical staff who work with young players spotted in grassroots football and take them up to the next level.
Morocco’s hard work is beginning to pay off as their heavy investment in their women’s game over the past few years, saw the Atlas Lionesses finishing as runners-up to South Africa on their return to WAFCON after a 22-year absence.
“Morocco’s success in recent times is no mystery. It’s purely hard work. You work for it”
Mr. Hassan however believes there is a chance Morocco could make some great impacts in Qatar this year. He is optimistic the desert foxes could go beyond the group stages which include Belgium, Canada and Croatia.
Again Mr. Hassan outlined their plan to see their current U18 sides play in the senior national team in the next four years.
“Of course there is a program for the U18 side that will help develop them and transition them into the senior side in the next 4 years for the world cup”.
Morocco will be playing in their 6th World cup finals after beating DR Congo 4-1 in the second leg of their African Zone play-off.
Having played in 1970, 1986, 1994, 1998 and 2018, the Foxes are looking to surpass their best record in 1986, when they reached the round of 16.
By: Ayishatu Zakaria Ali
