Category: Athletic

Fifa president Gianni Infantino believes African football has a bright future after Morocco’s historic run to the World Cup semi-finals rubber-stamped the continent’s best performance at the finals.

No African side had ever made it past the quarter-finals, while two African teams reached the knock-out stage for only the second time in history – and the first since the 2014 World Cup.

Four years ago, not one African team managed to get out of the group stage – so registering the worst World Cup for the continent since 1982.

In Qatar however, all five African representatives won a group game to ensure that a record six victories were secured by the continent at that stage of a tournament later lit up by Morocco’s stunning run.

Having held their own against 2018 runners-up Croatia in their opening game, the Atlas Lions proceeded to beat Canada and Belgium before seeing off both Spain and Portugal in the knock-out phase.

“I’m delighted because for many decades, we’ve been talking about the development of African football and when their time will come – their time has come,” said Infantino.

The 52-year-old paid particular tribute to Morocco, who will bid to become the first African team to win an effective World Cup ‘bronze medal’ when they face Croatia in the third-place play-off on Saturday.

“I think Morocco played exceptionally well – they were a great success and worked very, very well,” he said. “They played with great desire, determination and undeniable quality.

“Reaching a final can’t be done by chance. It’s the result of a long-term effort, investment by the Moroccan football federation, all the technical staff, and a young Moroccan coach who has also been in club football there.”

“They have shown us how you can play attractive and effective football.”

Unlike many African countries, Morocco’s football federation has invested millions of dollars into developing both infrastructure and players – with the results in Qatar having shown the fruits of that labour.

Infantino also congratulated the other African teams at the finals, with Tunisia defeating defending champions France while Cameroon secured a first-ever African World Cup win against five-time champions Brazil.

Meanwhile, African champions Senegal – who were eliminated on a ‘fair play’ ruling in 2018 – also joined Morocco in the Round of 16.

“Senegal qualified from the group stage, which wasn’t the case in 2018, and then came up against a very strong England team,” said the Fifa president, who took charge in 2016.

“Cameroon, Ghana and Tunisia also played very well and up to the last minute of the last matches, they had a chance of qualifying which shows you the standard of African football.”

Speaking at a press conference in the run-up to Sunday’s final between defending champions France and Argentina, Infantino believes the timing of Africa’s improvement is perfect given the World Cup expansion to 48 teams from 2026 onwards.

In four years’ time, the continent will have at least nine teams playing at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, with the possibility of a tenth representative should Africa make it through an intercontinental play-off.

“In the next World Cup, there will be double the number of African teams qualifying, which means there’ll be other African teams too so we can look forward to some more excellent performances.”

Fifa had hoped to use the expanded 48-team format in Qatar but dropped the idea because the small gulf state could not accommodate a larger tournament and sharing the event with their neighbours proved impossible.

In a separate development on Friday, Infantino announce that the Seychelles’ hosting of the 2023 Beach Soccer World Cup has been delayed until 2025, with the United Arab Emirates now set to stage the event next year.

Source: Modern Ghana

Doha, Qatar, Dec.16, GNA – World Football body, FIFA has confirmed that the 2023 Club World Cup will be held in Morocco for the third time in the country’s history.

The North African country hosted the tournament in 2013 and 2014 was the favourite to host the tournament, in terms of the facility provided.

The competition would feature the champions of the six continental federations and the top team from the host nation to battle for the World trophy.

Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA made the announcement whiles speaking at a press conference in Doha, Qatar.

According to him, the competition would also see new changes in the coming years, as 24 teams were expected to feature beginning in 2025.

The last edition of the FIFA Club World Cup was hosted by the United Arab Emirates of which the English side, Chelsea emerged victors.

Morocco had over the years dominated when it comes to African football, being the only African team to make it to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup after displaying an exciting performance in Qatar this year.

The 2023 Club World Cup is scheduled for February 1-11, 2023.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Brussels, Dec 15, (dpa/GNA) – French President, Emmanuel Macron, has huge respect for Lionel Messi, whose Argentina team will face France in the World Cup final in Qatar, on Sunday.

Messi finally wants to win the trophy a first time, but out to stop will be the French title holders around Kylian Mbappe, who plays together with Messi at French champions, Paris Saint-Germain.

“He is a great player when he plays in Paris, but I prefer him in Paris than in his national team,” Macron said of Messi on Thursday, at a European Union summit in Brussels.

He added he had big respect for the “wonderful” Argentina team, but remains upbeat that his French team will lift the trophy, because the team was well prepared and had a great mix of young and experienced players.

“I believe we are the favourites,” Macron said.

Macron was in attendance Wednesday in Al Khor, when France booked their place in the final with a 2-0 victory against Morocco. He has said he would be back in Qatar for the final in Lusail.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Doha, Qatar, Dec.15, GNA – France has made it to the finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the second consecutive time after defeating the Atlas Lions of Morocco 2-0 at the Al Bayt Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

An early-minute thunder by AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez and a late strike from Kolo Muani helped the French side to book a ticket to the next stage of the competition to face Argentina on Sunday at the Lusail stadium.

Morocco looked quite confident anytime they had the ball, with high hopes of grabbing yet another all-important win coming in against the defending champions.

Kylian Mbappe’s first opportunity of the game led to a goal as left-footed Hernandez flung himself into the air to slot in a shot in the fifth minute of the game, after the 23-year-old’s effort could not pay off. 

The injury of Moroccan skipper, Romain Saiss left the defense of his side struggling to stop Ousman Dembele and Mbappe, as the two kept on tormenting the African side up front. 

Olivier Giroud nearly doubled the lead for the French side in the 16th minute after he was denied by the woodworks.

The tactical 5-4-1 formation by the Moroccan side was up to the task as they made quick runs to cover up anytime they lost the ball to their opponent.

Jawad El Yamid almost got an equalizer for his side but his effort was denied by Hugo Lloris who was solid in between the sticks.

Morocco developed a strategy to send in more men upfront getting to the end of the first half of the game as they mounted lots of pressure on the European side with their long crosses, but could not make any impact as the first half of the game ended 1-0.

After recess, the second half of the game saw the Moroccan side coming all out, hoping to get back into the game. 

Hakim Ziyech and Hakimi were threats to the French side as they were forced to play defensive whiles Morocco also enjoyed possession outside the 18-yard box.

Mbappe’s master mind gave the Moroccans a tough time as he managed to make his way out anytime he had the ball on the wings with his skillful play.

The Paris Saint Germain forward got it right this time round as he managed to dance through five Moroccan defenders, releasing a pass to Kolo Muani who was left with no other choice than to slot in the ball to give his side a comfortable 2-0 lead in the 79th minute of the game. 

Morocco despite suffering a 2-0 defeat, still came all out to give the Europeans a tough challenge but could not get a consolation goal as Mexican referee, Cesar Ramos brought the game to an end after six minutes of additional time.

France would now face Argentina in the finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup hoping to repeat their 2018 record on Sunday.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Brussels, Dec 15, (dpa/GNA) – Police in Brussels arrested some 100 people, amid clashes over the end of Morocco’s 2022 World Cup fairytale run, as the team was beaten 2-0 by France in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

The detained fans were accused of disturbing the public order, damaging two police vehicles and possession of prohibited fireworks, news agency Belga reported early Thursday, quoting the police.

Parts of the roads in the city centre had been cordoned off, ahead of the match, according to the report. Images from Wednesday night showed piles of burning rubbish, as well as a large police contingent deployed on the streets of Brussels, with officers clad in riot gear.

Photos published by Belga, also showed residents who had started to clean up the streets on Wednesday evening.

Morocco became the first team from Africa to reach the final four in a World Cup, after ousting Spain and Portugal in the last of 16 and the quarter-finals respectively. They also beat Belgium in the group stage.

Several people were also arrested amid clashes in Antwerp, to the north of the capital, Belga reported.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Doha, Qatar, Dec. 15, Haolid Regragui Head Coach of Morocco national team has said they will now shift their focus on winning the third-place match against Croatia on Saturday in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Morocco will take on Croatia who lost to Argentina in the other semi-final match, on Saturday, December 17, at the Khalifa Stadium.

He said the people of Morocco and the continent were proud of them for reaching the semi-finals, but they had to win the third-place match to compensate them for the defeat against France.

Speaking in a post-match interview, Coach Regragui said, their aim was to beat France to make a historic entry into the finals of the competition, but it was not possible.

“We had plans of making it into the finals, but a lot of factors worked against us. We conceded an early goal which distabilised us, and some of our players also had early injuries.

“Besides, there were other injury situations in camp, which did not help our cause, but we are proud of our achievements.

“Our target was the finals, but we missed it. We also made petty mistakes which we paid dearly for.

“The World Cup is the highest level in football, and you must always pay attention to details. You would be punished for the slightest mistakes,” he added.

Coach Regragui said though his players were psychologically down, he would work on them to get them prepared for the game on Saturday.

According to the Coach, he would also offer other players who had not played any game to have a feel of the World Cup on Saturday.

“Some of my players are battling injuries, and others are tired, this is the chance to give others the opportunity to taste the world cup,” he stated.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Hundreds of Moroccan football fans have been left devastated as last-minute flight cancellations look set to stop them from travelling to Qatar for Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final.

Morocco’s national airliner – Royal Air Maroc – had planned to run seven additional flights ahead of the game.

It made the decision after Morocco’s FA promised to give fans 13,000 free tickets to the clash with France.

But on Wednesday, it said Qatari officials had blocked the flights.

“Following the latest restrictions imposed by the Qatari authorities Royal Air Maroc regrets to inform customers of the cancellation of their flights operated by Qatar Airways,” the airline said in a statement to the Reuters news agency.

It is unclear why Qatari officials ordered the airline to stop the flights, and the government’s central communications office has yet to respond to a BBC request for comment.

In a post on its social media channels on Monday, the airline had offered to lay on 30 additional flights as part of “an exceptional flight schedule” to help fans get to Qatar.

But affiliated travel agencies later said there would be just seven extra flights.

The cancellations left a number of fans who had already booked tickets and hotel rooms out of pocket.

The airline offered a full apology and said it would reimburse passengers.

Meanwhile, a number of Moroccan expatriates have been arriving in Qatar, attracted by the promise of free tickets from the country’s FA.

Around five million Moroccans are estimated to live around the world, with many of them in France.

But as fans arrived at fan centres at the Al Janoub stadium – many covering their heads with their Moroccan flags and caps to protect themselves from the heat – they were left angered when the free tickets promised by the FA failed to materialise.

One supporter, Zineb Nfati, told the BBC she had travelled from Paris for the game but had been unable to find a ticket.

“This is a very symbolic game – it’s Morocco against France and I’m half-French, half-Moroccan,” she said.

“The problem is there are no reliable sources. There is no reliable information,” Ms Nfati said. “I came here with my brother and I don’t know what we’ll do… I’m heartbroken.”

The clash is the first time an African side have reached this stage of football’s biggest competition, though their French rivals are heavily tipped by pundits to advance to the final against Argentina.

But Morocco coach Walid Regragui – who grew up in Paris – says his side are confident and don’t want to “wait another 40 years for an African team” to shine on the world stage.

Source: Modern Ghana

France in the semi-final of the World Cup seems as natural as cafe and croissants. Didier Deschamps’ men came into the Qatar tournament as defending champions boasting world-class operators such as Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann and Hugo Lloris.

However, Morocco, their adversaries on Wednesday night at the Al Bayt Stadium, paraded few such talents and were regarded, along with Canada, as the cannon fodder in Group F. Croatia and Belgium were anointed for the last-16.

Morocco, though, drew with Croatia, upset Belgium 2-0 and beat Canada to claim the pool.

And following wins over a couple of other putative European powerhouses, Morocco stand one game away from Sunday’s final.

The clash for that berth to face Argentina provides the competition with a compelling array of narratives such as colonialism, immigration and continental pride.

Morocco’s squad approaches the semi-final as the first African team to reach the last four in the 92-year history of the World Cup.

History

They are also the first Arab country to advance to the last four. A particularly apt achievement with Qatar the first Middle Eastern nation to host the World Cup.

Such kinship was on vivid display following Morocco’s penalty shootout win over Spain in the last-16. Two skyscrapers in downtown Doha were lit up with the colours of the Moroccan flag.

Cars zoomed around honking horns as celebrations exploded into life around Morocco and other cities such as Paris and London with large Moroccan communities.

The Morocco team comprises players reared outside the country. The coach, Walid Regragui, was born in France.

“I’m a dual national and that’s an honour and a pleasure,” said Regragui.

Honour

“And it’s an honour and a pleasure to face France. But I’m the Morocco coach and we’re going to be playing the best team in the world. The most important thing is to get through to the final.”

With Morocco under French rule between 1912 and 1956, the colonial strand offers an intriguing diversion especially with so many of the France players descendants of people who were not born in mainland France.

The historical animosity could, suggested Lloris, fire a hostile environment in the stadium.

“The Morocco fans are going to make a lot of noise,” said the 35-year-old who will be making a record-extending 144th appearance for his country.

“It will be a raucous atmosphere. It’s going to be a tough time to concentrate in that sense, but during the match we’re going to have to remain focused.”

Feat

Deschamps – one of only three men to have won the World Cup as a player and as a coach – is attempting to join Vittorio Pozzo as the only man to lead a team to back-to-back World Cups.

Pozzo pulled off the feat with Italy in 1934 and 1938.

Nearly a century later, Deschamps’ charges have to break through a defence that has conceded only one goal in the tournament.

But at least the 54-year-old can rely on Mbappé and Olivier Giroud who have clocked up nine goals between them.

“Yes, it’s true that Morocco have been very strong in defence,” said Deschamps. “But they’re not just good at the back.

“They wouldn’t have reached the semi-finals if they were just a defensive team. They’ve shown other qualities.”

In the sixth game, Morocco have been stripped of the patronising tag of surprise package.

“I was asked if we can win the World Cup and I said: ‘Why not?'” said Regragui.

“We can dream, it doesn’t cost you anything to have dreams. European countries are used to winning the World Cup and we have played top European sides. Anyone playing us is going to be afraid of us.

“We’re going to fight to move on, for the African nations, for the Arab world,” he added.

Source: Modern Ghana