Morocco’s run to unchartered territory in the Fifa World Cup may appear to be just another fairytale sports run. Think Greece winning the 2004 European Championships, or 17-year-old Boris Becker’s Wimbledon win in 1985.

Of course, who can forget English club Leicester City’s 2016 Premier League success.

There was also that memorable and equally surprising win for Denmark at Euro 1992 — thrown into the fray at the eleventh hour, following the disqualification of Yugoslavia due to the civil war that was gripping the then country at the time.

However, the first African country to finally reach the World Cup semifinals in the history of the 92-year-old global football extravaganza is not here by chance.

Abdelhamid Sabiri of Morocco (not in picture) scores his side’s first goal, as Thibaut Courtois of Belgium, Romain Saiss of Morocco and Axel Witsel of Belgium look on, during the Group F Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 match between Belgium and Morocco at the Al Thumama Stadium on 27 November, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo: Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

We want it all!

They have made history equally owing to the concerted and concentrated effort by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (RMFF), as they have for the valiant fighting spirit that the players — led by head coach Walid Regragui — have shown at the World Cup.

However, the Moroccan men’s national team’s success in 2022 is not unique to them.

The women’s senior side reached the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) final, on home soil, where they lost to an experienced and hungry South African side that had failed to lift the crown after reaching the final five previous times.

Despite having to settle for silver in their maiden final appearance in the continental competition, they managed to qualify for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup — the first time they have achieved this.

At club level, Wydad Casablanca are the reigning men’s Caf Champions League champions, while in the women’s equivalent, the North African nation’s Asfar recently dethroned Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies of South Africa to become the queens of African club football.

Azzedine Ounahi of Morocco competes for the ball with Otavio of Portugal during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 quarterfinal match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on 10 December, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo: Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images)

To cap it off, men’s side RS Berkane are also the current defending champions in the Caf Confederations Cup after clinching that title in May 2022.

Morocco are also the holders of the African Nations Championship (Chan) — which is not to be confused with the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). The former is reserved only for players based on the continent. The Atlas Lions won it in 2020, after also having triumphed two years prior in the biennial competition.  

Infrastructure

Africa has long lagged behind Europe in terms of infrastructure. However, Morocco has attempted to change that fact one brick at a time.

In 2007, the RMFF conceived the idea of a national football academy. Two years later the Mohammed VI Football Academy (as the multi-million-dollar institution is known) officially opened its doors — on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Rabat.

Visit Daily Maverick’s home page for more news, analysis and investigations

The academy was designed to accommodate a maximum of sixty students between the ages of 12 and 18. The project was constructed on eighteen hectares of land, and “has every facility available to students to improve their football skills and work towards their education,” says RMFF.

It has since produced players such Nayef Aguerd, Youssef En-Nesyri and star midfielder Azzedine Ounahi — who have grown to be vital cogs for the Atlas Lions.

The academy has also played a major part in Morocco landing key players that are of Moroccan descent but find themselves living outside Africa for various reasons. It employs scouts from across Europe to flag any eligible youth players that may be willing to represent the national team.

Walid Regragui, Head Coach of Morocco, (right) looks on during the Morocco Training Session at Al Duhail SC Stadium on 13 December, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

“Morocco is a young society and our young people have raw talent,” said RMFF president Fouzi Lekjaa of the academy.

“We are trying to deliver maximum added value in footballing terms so that we can take that raw talent and allow it to express itself and raise its game. The idea is to prepare them for life as professional players and for them to kick on and join clubs.”

Then there is the Mohammed VI Football Complex. The multipurpose $70-million facility covers almost 30 hectares.

It was inaugurated in 2019 and boasts four five-star hotels, eight Fifa standard pitches — one of which is indoor, in a climate-controlled building — as well as a medical facility. It is the largest of its kind on the continent.

‘Avacado head’

To further demonstrate that Morocco’s success is far from being coincidental, you have to look no further than the Atlas Lions’ head coach Regragui.

After winning the Champions League and domestic league title with Wydad earlier this year, the French-born Moroccan was rewarded with leading his country at the World Cup in Qatar.

The 47-year-old replaced Bosnian Vahid Halilhodžić, who had qualified the team for the ongoing global showpiece. He departed after apparent disagreements with the RMFF hierarchy. 

In Qatar Regragui has shown that the Moroccan federation did not make a mistake by parachuting him into the hot seat, earning praise from the likes of José Mourinho for his tactical nuance and adaptability.

Walid Regragui, Head Coach of Morocco, speaks during the Morocco Press Conference at the Main Media Center on 13 December, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo: Mohamed Farag/Getty Images)

“The coach organised the team very well. Starting with a 4-3-3 formation, he was able to change during the game to 5-4-1. He saw the danger, he saw Portugal accumulating lots of players in finishing areas and he found a way to control the game… They have players, a coach and an incredible spirit,” said Mourinho after the Atlas Lions had ousted Portugal in the last eight.  

Despite his exploits with Wydad, not everyone was pleased with Regragui’s ascension to national team coach, which brought about the name “avocado head” from critics and pundits — in reference to his bald head.

But the shaved-headed head coach has more than proved his credentials in the heat of Qatar and shut the critics up. Now he and his pride of Atlas Lions are hoping to inspire future generations of African football, while riding on the coattails of deliberate investment by the country’s football administrators.

“Africans can go far. Why not dream of winning the World Cup? We want the next generation to dare to dream,” said Regragui.

Morocco and France clash at 9pm later today. DM