ONE country has recently staked its claim to having
THE best fans in the world…
Welcome to Morocco,
a country 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 the culture. Everyone plays football in Morocco, every child.
Home to one of the world’s fiercest football derbies
And some of the best Tifos in the Ultras scene.
And Morocco’s not just a shining beacon for men’s football.
It's also setting the standard for women's game in the Arab world
These fans won 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 win over Brazil.
Hey Brazil - airport's 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…. Walid Regragui.
He created the good atmosphere and good ambiance for the team. And
he also tried to bring the good things and the best things from every player.
Regragui, born in France, united a previously fractured Morocco national team.
A squad and fanbase that had struggled with its identity, embraced its multicultural makeup.
There are players who speak Darija, 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 Netherlands also. But they are Moroccan.
They are 100% Moroccan guys. They bring with them this kind of melting pot identity.
At the center of the squad, however,
there’s a common themes - pride for Morocco. And shared cultural values.
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.
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 Fouzi Lekjaa, investment in infrastructure and youth development increased,
including the $70 million Mohammed VI Football Complex.
These conditions allowed Regragui to shine. He kept Morocco’s highly-organised
defensive structures, but introduced freedom of expression in attack to bombard the opposition.
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 intent on burgeoning Morocco’s reputation…
Morocco’s capital, Rabat. More than
50,000 fans packed out the Prince Moulay Abdellah 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 Ghizlane Chebbak.
Chebbak
was star and top goalscorer of the WAFCON,
where Morocco upset heavyweights Nigeria in the semifinals.
Next up is a debut at the 2023 World Cup,
where Morocco will be the first Arab nation to play in the tournament.
Under Reynald Pedros – a two-time Champions League-winning coach
with Lyon – training standards, tactics, and above all, confidence, have lifted.
Again, progress is thanks to the Moroccan FA and a four-year plan introduced in 2020.
They professionalised the top two divisions. Provided set wages for
players and staff at every club. And bolstered grassroots funding.
Chebbak’s club FAR Rabat are clear heavyweights. Funded by their men’s team,
they poach the best players and have won 10 of the past 11 league titles.
FAR’s spending may have distorted competition,
but the club has set the standard and their investment has benefitted the national team.
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 girls who play soccer. But 10 years ago, things were not the same.
Chebbak is one of the fortunate ones in her generation. Her father,
Larbi Chebbak, 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 Ouazzane. Fadwa Shernan
faced obstacles during her playing and coaching career. But she’s seen
a massive improvement since founding Amal Ouazane in the late 1990s.
Now, there’s a lot more freedom and opportunities in Ouazane,
with the club playing in the professional second division.
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 professionalisation of the domestic leagues will build the bedrock for future generations.
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.
Of course, Moroccan football’s 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 Mohammed V Stadium in order to break fast.
THIS is just how intertwined football is with Moroccan culture and society.
Moroccan football can’t be explained without Wydad. Or Raja.
They dominate the scene in Casablanca.
Wydad 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 Mohammed V Stadium. Wydad take up the Curva Nord. And Raja occupy the Curva Sud.
They’re both heavily responsible for Morocco’s rising reputation as a hotbed for fan culture.
The ultras scene in Morocco grew out of these two clubs. With the Green Boys of
Raja founded in 2005. And the Winners of Wydad 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 dissent.
Every group of ultras will sing about political and social demands.
It’s like a form of competition. And everyone tries to take a position.
We are a political group. We sing
about politics, about culture, about social situation here in Morocco. About struggles.
Chants against corruption, meager work opportunities, and poverty were quickly formed.
Despite its shining exterior dazzling tourists from across the globe,
everyday Moroccans are struggling with inflation, unemployment, and rising gas and food prices.
Stadiums are viewed as sanctuaries where disenchanted fans can speak out.
The stadium for them is a space of freedom,
a space of expression. And they use it as they want. Everything is permitted
in the stadiums. But outside the stadium you can’t really talk about many things.
And through their elaborate songs and intricate Tifos,
Moroccan fans truly rival any other Ultras scene found across the world.
They try to compare themselves to the guys from South America,
from Argentina. The first group of Ultras in the world were there in South America, not in Europe.
BUT above all else, Moroccan football mostly
mirrors Moroccan values - it’s about love, family, and respect.
They sing mostly about love, love of the country, love of the family, love of the club.
It’s in these stadiums, too, from where support for the women’s game is emanating.
While Ultras groups are still very much male dominated — an
almost universal issue — football is simply football for a lot of fans.
With fanatic support backing them, the Moroccan national teams have made their
fans proud, showcasing the country’s multicultural society to the world.
We are Muslims, we are Arabic, we are African too. So that means that we are in a mix.
When I see them, I see that this is the
Moroccan of the future. Moroccans of the future are like this. They speak not only
Darija Moroccan, they speak 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 encouraged dreams of further glory.
No one expected that Morocco reach this semi-final. But it was great to show the world
that if we work, if we surround ourselves with 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.
For the women, the World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand should bring
even more visibility, funding, and support to their cause.
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 is not the same. It’s not Saudi Arabia. It’s not like Kuwait,
or the Emirates, or Qatar. Things are evolving now.
And there’s no reason to doubt that the women
can’t mimic the men and climb their way up the world order.
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 simply next level. This is hands down one of
the best fan scenes I’ve seen in my life. If you love football, get yourself to Morocco.