In an analytical article published on Tuesday, the daily stressed that “since 2009, when the new Moroccan Football Academy was inaugurated with the aim of training quality players, Morocco, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, passionate about football, has invested heavily in the field of sport.”
“Yedioth Ahronoth” added that this Academy, which is endowed with a substantial budget for football development and player training, boasts major world-class facilities, eight stadiums, state-of-the-art fitness centers, an Olympic-size swimming pool, classrooms and a 5-star hotel.
In August 2020, the newspaper said, the annual budget dedicated to women’s football in Morocco was multiplied by ten, while the national championship became professional, recalling in this respect the resounding success of the 2022 African Women’s Cup of Nations held in Morocco, as the Moroccan team qualified for the final against South Africa in the presence of over 50,000 spectators.
The publication pointed out that after the Atlas Lionesses’ 6-0 defeat by Germany in their first match at the Women’s World Cup, no one could have imagined that the first Arab team in the tournament’s history would qualify for the Round of 16, when the winner was eliminated in the group stage.
In fact, Morocco won both matches after their first game by 1-0 against South Korea and 1-0 against Colombia, while Germany were eliminated in the group phase for the first time in their history, the paper said.
The daily also reported that 25-year-old Nouhaila Benzina became the first veiled footballer to play in the Women’s World Cup.
After the victory over Colombia, Benzina said that “nothing is impossible in football. We were one team. We attacked and defended as one team. We made the Moroccans proud of us.”
Yedioth Ahronoth pointed out that this performance was achieved just over six months after the Moroccan men’s national team made history after reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar.
