HOW Morocco built a football powerhouse

one country has recently staked its

claim to having the best fans in the

world

tree which is simply football mad

a Melting Pot of cultures has forged one

of the game's most incredible fan scenes

in a land on the border of Europe where

Africa meets the Arab world football is

inseparable from society I think it's a

part of culture so everyone plays

football

every child

home to one of the world's fiercest

football derbies

some of the best tifos in the Ultras

scene

it's like a battle we're in the Roger

face we don't get help

and Morocco is not just a shining Beacon

for men's football it's also setting the

standard for the women's game in the

Arab world

these fans one hearts and Minds at the

2022 World Cup and Morocco isn't

finished just yet either on or off the

pitch

so how has Morocco's passion for

football helped turn them into a

Powerhouse

Tangier known as the Gateway between

Africa and Europe

and the scene of Morocco's recent 2-1

victory over Brazil

[Music]

this way

following Morocco's incredible success

at the 2022 World Cup enthusiasm for

football is at an all-time high

and the on-pitch success is largely

thanks to one man Wali Greggy

he created

the good atmosphere and good Ambiance

for for the team and also he tried to

bring the good thing and the best thing

from every player

born in France United a previously

fractured Morocco national team

a squad and fan base that had struggled

with its identity embraced its

Multicultural makeup

um

there are players who speak duration

Moroccan Arabic those who speak a

northern Berber dialect and those who

use a southern dialect

and 14 of the 26 players at the World

Cup were born in Europe to Moroccan

parents

they were born in France and Italy and

Spain

and Midland also but they are Moroccan

they are 100 working guys they bring

with them

this kind of

Milton Port identity

at the center of the squad however there

are common themes Pride for Morocco and

shared cultural values

[Applause]

family respect

and also work there's three values I

guess that are the most shown

Africans Arabs and Muslims can see

themselves in this team and the fans

stole the show at the Qatar World Cup

winning the neutral hearts of Millions

with their chanting drumming and passion

um

the Moroccan makeup has also created a

highly talented pool of footballers yet

until recently they weren't living up to

their potential

the team's trajectory truly changed in

2009 when the Moroccan Football

Federation overhauled the game's

structures under President fawzi lecture

investment in infrastructure and Youth

Development increased including the 70

million dollar Mohammed the sixth

football complex

these conditions allowed regregi to

shine he kept Morocco's highly organized

defensive structures but introduced

freedom of expression in attack to

bombard the opposition

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and following the atlas Lions success in

Qatar there's great optimism that they

can become a true Powerhouse

but before the men's side plots its next

steps to climb the world order there's

another team intense on burgeoning

Morocco's reputation

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Morocco's Capital Rabat

more than 50 000 fans packed out the

prince mulai Abdullah Stadium for the

2022 Africa Cup of Nations final it was

a record for a women's football match in

Africa while Morocco lost the final

against South Africa it represented a

massive shift for women's football

according to Captain hislan chabek

was the star and top goal scorer of the

waffcon where Morocco upset heavyweights

Nigeria in the semi-finals

next up is a debut at the 2023 World Cup

where Morocco will be the first Arab

Nation to play in the tournament

under Reynold Pedros a two-time

Champions League winning coach with Leon

training standards tactics and above all

confidence have lifted

um

again progress is thanks to the Moroccan

fa and a four-year Plan introduced in

2020 they professionalized the top two

divisions provided set wages for players

and staff at every club and bolstered

Grassroots funding

shebex Club farabat are clear

heavyweights funded by their men's team

they poached the best players and have

won 10 of the past 11 League titles

fast spending may have distorted the

competition but the club has set the

standard and their investment has

benefited the national team

um

like most countries in the world women's

football in Morocco is facing many

challenges to be accepted within Society

but that's starting to change I think

the society is they are more tolerant

about about girls who play soccer but 10

years ago things were not the same

chebek is one of the fortunate ones in

her generation her father labi shabek

was a Moroccan International and

encouraged her dreams to turn

professional others weren't so fortunate

those views are still a challenge in

conservative towns like hoisan

face obstacles during her playing and

coaching career but she's seen a massive

Improvement since founding Emma rosan in

the late 1990s

um

now there's a lot more freedom and

opportunities in hwazan with the club

playing in the professionals second

division

is

the 2023 World Cup is seen as the next

opportunity to cement women's football

further into Moroccan society and while

Morocco like the men's team still rely

on foreign-born Talent the

professionalization of the domestic

leagues will build the Bedrock for

future Generations

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Australia

based on the large crowds that cheered

on Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations

support will also be solid as they

tackle the best in the world

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of course Moroccan football success

men's and women's wouldn't be anywhere

without the nation's Fierce passion for

football and a unique fan scene and you

can find the heart of that culture

beating in one city

Casablanca it's the first week of

Ramadan and fans are rushing to Muhammad

V stadium in order to break fast

this is just how intertwined football is

with Moroccan culture and Society

um

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Moroccan football can't be explained

without weird ad or without Raja

they dominate the scene in Casablanca

widad is historically linked to the

Moroccan Monarch since its founding in

1937. Raja arrived about a decade later

as a working class Club

they both share the Muhammad V Stadium

winner take up the curva Nord

and Raja occupy the curvasood

they're both heavily responsible for

Morocco's Rising reputation as a hotbed

for fan culture

foreign

with the green boys of Raja founded in

2005

and the winners of widad forming just a

few months later

further Ultras groups around the nation

have popped up since and during the 2010

Arab Spring they started using the

stadiums to voice descent

every group Ultras will singing a

political social events it was like a

sort of competition form of competition

between them and everyone tried to like

take a position we are a political move

we are using songs about politics

struggles a lot of time

chance against corruption Mega work

opportunities and poverty were quickly

formed

despite its shiny exterior dazzling

tourists from across the globe every day

Moroccans are struggling with inflation

unemployment and Rising gas and food

prices

stadiums are viewed as sanctuaries where

disenchanted fans can speak out season 4

of them is space of freedom

a space of expression

and they use it so use it as they want

so everything is permitted

in stadiums but outside the stadiums no

you cannot really talk about many things

and through their elaborate songs and

intricate tifos Moroccan fans truly

rival any other Ultra scene found across

the world

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they try to compare themselves with the

guys from South America from Argentina

the first group will trust in the world

were there in South America

not work but Above All Else Moroccan

football mostly mirrors Moroccan values

it's about love family and respect this

thing mostly about love love of the

country love of the the the family love

of the clubs

um

it's within these stadiums too from

where the support for the women's game

is emanating while ultra's groups are

still very much male dominated and

almost Universal issue football is

simply football for a lot of fans

um

foreign

with fnatic support backing them the

Moroccan national teams have made their

fans proud showcasing the country's

Multicultural Society to the world

we are Muslims who are Arabic we're

African too so that means that we are in

the mix when I see them I see that this

is the

Moroccan of the future miracles of the

future are like this they speak not only

there is a moroccanistic German they

speak Spanish they speak Berber

the men's unexpected success has shown

that they can match the best in the

world and also encourage dreams of

further Glory

and no one expected that Morocco reached

this semi-final but uh

it was great

to uh

show the world that

if we work

if you surround ourselves with the good

people

maybe we could do something

together

and the next step for men's football

Morocco is hoping to host the afcon in

2025 and the Holy Grail the 2030 World

Cup

this is

for the women the World Cup debut in

Australia and New Zealand should bring

even more visibility funding and support

to their cause

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they are certainly Leading The Way

Forward for Arab Nations which have a

reputation for conservatism when it

comes to women's rights and equality

Morocco

it's not the same

Saudi Arabia it's like it's not like

Kuwait or Emirates or Qatar you know

things are involved now

and there's no reason to doubt that the

women can't mimic the men and climb

their way up the world order

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through Morocco's passion for football

fervent investment and its cultural

values that may not be so Pie in the Sky

so after a few weeks in Morocco what can

I say it can be noisy it can be chaotic

but the people the hospitality the

culture the passion it's just next level

it's hands down one of the best fan

scenes I've ever experienced in my life

if you love football get yourself to

Morocco

thank you