SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
RABAT: The remarkable victory of Morocco’s U20 national football team is not a matter of chance but the outcome of the visionary and structured sports policy championed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI over several years.
This historic triumph marks the realization of the King’s farsighted vision to make sports — especially football — a driving force for human, social, and territorial development across the Kingdom.
His Majesty has consistently placed great importance on the promotion of sports in all disciplines. In his message to the National Sports Conference in 2008, the King emphasized: “We have full confidence in the great potential of Moroccan sport. We will therefore spare no effort to support all good initiatives dedicated to the supreme objective we have set for ourselves, namely to make Moroccan sport an exemplary model and a factor of social cohesion and strengthening our regional and international influence.”
The Mohammed VI Football Academy stands as one of the most prominent manifestations of this Royal Vision. Several players from the victorious U20 squad — including Yassir Zabiri, Fouad Zahouani, Houssam Essadak, and Yassine Khalifi — are proud graduates of this renowned academy, a cornerstone of Morocco’s sports development model.
Established in 2009 and expanded in 2013 under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty the King, the Academy has become a benchmark in youth training and professional football development. Spanning over 18 hectares and representing an investment of 140 million dirhams, it embodies the Royal commitment to nurturing young talent and providing them with the tools to excel both nationally and internationally.
Thanks to this Royal Vision, Morocco has witnessed a nationwide expansion of sports infrastructure — including local playgrounds, regional centers, and modern training facilities — ensuring that young people from all backgrounds have access to sports opportunities.
As His Majesty highlighted: “Our ultimate goal is to revitalize the practice of sport in our towns, villages, and neighborhoods, especially working-class ones, which constitute an inexhaustible reservoir of athletes for our country.”
The democratization of sport across the Kingdom has cultivated a generation of disciplined, skilled, and confident athletes. The Mohammed VI Football Academy today stands as a center of excellence, producing talents who now play pivotal roles in Morocco’s senior national team.
Building on the unprecedented success of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the U20 team’s triumph in Chile reinforces Morocco’s growing stature on the global football stage.
The recent coronation of the “Lion Cubs” is a vivid reflection of the inclusive and forward-looking Royal Vision that continues to elevate Moroccan sports. With this victory, Morocco confirms its status as a leading football nation — a triumph born of determination, leadership, and the unwavering support of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
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