By finishing on the second step of the podium of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) for the under-17s, the Moroccan selection demonstrated, once again, that adequate training and supervision are the keystones for the success of any sports strategy.
During this AFCON, the Cubs of the Atlas commanded respect and gave a beautiful image of Moroccan football which now reigns in the firmament of continental football, thanks in particular to the exploits of Moroccan selections and clubs. Behind these feats, there is a well-crafted sports policy implemented thanks to a far-sighted royal vision that places young people at the center of interests. Thus, the Mohammed VI Football Academy, alongside other national club academies, stole the show during this competition, through the presence of nine players from this sports infrastructure.
Already during the 2022 World Cup, this modern sports arena, which combines sport and studies, was in the spotlight, thanks to the historic feat of the Atlas Lions who qualified for the semi-finals, a level never reached by an Arab or African selection.
The saga of the National Eleven at the Qatari World Cup, where Oualid Regragui’s men reached the semi-finals after a historic and exceptional career, was largely the result of this proactive strategy which put in place the necessary means for the training of young players who now make the heyday of the biggest European clubs, like Youssef En-Nessyri with Sevilla FC, Nayef Aguered with West Ham, or Azzeddine Ounahi with Olympique de Marseille.
This policy of training and setting up high-level sports facilities also manifested itself through the inauguration of the Mohammed VI Football Complex.
Thus, as part of His High Concern for national football, HM the King proceeded, on December 9, 2019 in Salé, not far from the Mohammed VI Football Academy, to the inauguration of the Mohammed VI Football Complex, a integrated structure dedicated to performance and excellence, which plays a complementary role in the development of national football.
A concentrate of expertise and know-how, the Mohammed VI Football Complex, built on 29.3 ha of land, is intended to accommodate national teams in training courses, as well as foreign national teams wishing to carry out their concentration courses in Morocco.
This complex, built by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, reflects the High solicitude with which the Sovereign has never ceased to surround sport and youth and His desire to provide national football professionals with all the conditions for success and of success, so that they can represent their country as they should.
These efforts are beginning to bear fruit. Thus, national football has known in recent years an all-out success at the level of all categories, like the women’s team and the futsal team, as well as the national clubs which participate in the continental championships and cups.