The 2022 FIFA World Cup is done and dusted after 64 days of breathtaking football.
The tournament in Qatar was nothing short of spectacular, to the extent that one could reasonably claim that the Arab nation has raised the bar in terms of hosting and entertainment! The 2022 World Cup set a new record of tournament goals (172) with the help of the six-goal thriller over 120 minutes in the final between France and champions Argentina- widely regarded as the best final in the mundial’s history. Ultimately the football did do the talking and took center stage in a tournament that was marred in controversy ahead of its commencement, with Qatar being in the spotlight for its human rights violations (as regards treatment of migrant workers) and its laws and treatment towards members of the LGBT community.
One of the consistent themes at the World Cup were underdog triumphs, with African teams serving a chunk of them thanks to the Morocco national team. The likes of Cameroon and Tunisia had their own share of unexpected victories after beating Brazil and France respectively in the group stages, two sides with seven World Cups between them.
Morocco’s own story is much more poignant and is arguably the most thrilling tale in Qatar after Argentina and Lionel Messi’s long wait for the title was finally over. The Atlas Lions topped their group ahead of heavyweights and group favorites Croatia and Belgium, becoming the first African nation to finish top of their World Cup group since Nigeria at the 1998 World Cup in France.
As if that wasn’t enough of an achievement, Morocco then saw off two European giants in Spain and Portugal in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals, showing unbelievable grit and determination to pull through and break Africa’s jinx at never progressing past the last eight of the World Cup. As it is commonly said, all good things must come to an end and Morocco’s dream of making it to the final was denied by France, who beat them 2-0 in the semi-final, before losing 2-1 to Croatia in the third/fourth place playoff.
Fourth is a new high for the African continent and a sign for other teams to aim big and believe that a World Cup is not beyond their grasp. Indeed, that will be Africa’s aim now. The aim of at least making it to the quarter-finals will no longer be deemed satisfactory. Winning the World Cup is all that would matter to an African team now, something CAF President Patrice Motsepe acknowledged.
“The 54 African countries who are members of CAF are extremely proud and inspired by the victories and successes of the five African Nations that represented CAF at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” the South African mining tycoon said in a statement.
“We are also particularly proud of Morocco’s historic qualification to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“Our objective of ensuring that an African nation wins the World Cup is alive and within reach.”
Even Morocco coach Walid Regragui, the mastermind behind the North Africans great run in Qatar, believes winning the World Cup is within reach if the team can match its performance in future editions.
“The doubts were in the minds of everyone before this tournament but we have gone further than expected and it is not enough. That needs to set the example for the future,” the 47-year-old said after finishing fourth in the tournament.
“We have made a fantastic achievement but we want to do that again. If we can keep reaching the semi-final or quarter final regularly, one day we will win the World Cup.”
While all the praise and accolades need to go to Morocco, who received a hero’s welcome by their fans and monarch Mohammed VI, it has to be noted that a considerable number of the team is filled with players that were not born in the country. 14 players that include Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saiss, Hakim Ziyech, Sofiane Boufal and also manager Regragui were born in Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France or Italy.
This gives a sense that Africa is losing some of its best talents and would want to represent their newly-adopted country in whatever field they find themselves. Those opportunities might however not be there and that’s why they’ll end up coming back to their roots. Indeed, it might have been difficult for the likes of Hakimi, Boufal, Ziyech and others to break into the teams of the countries they were born, with established names having a firm spot in the national team. Playing for Morocco thus makes it easier for them to flourish and the results have shown.
This is not to say all goes well when trading a diaspora nationality to come back and represent home. In fact, many African teams are filled with players born and raised abroad. The Ghana national team had the likes of InakiWilliams and Tariq Lamptey in Qatar while the Senegal team (similar to Morocco) had 12 players that were majorly born and raised in France.
Coming down to Nigeria, the likes of Leon Balogun, William Troost-Ekong, Maduka Okoye, Joe Aribo among others, are some of the players born abroad to represent the Super Eagles. Despite their presence, there is still a lack of success from the Nigeria National Team both on the continent and the global stage.
The reality is that just having players in the diaspora coming to play for Africa teams is no guarantee for success. There has often been a sentiment within the Super Eagles that getting players raised abroad will improve the team and make it dominant. However, that has been far from reality, with the West African giants yet to claim success at the Africa Cup of Nations since 2013, missing two editions of the continental showpiece (2015, 2017) and disappointingly failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
For players in the diaspora to succeed with African national teams, what is obtainable abroad needs to be obtainable in Africa as well. Morocco have set the trail on the African continent with development projects that are already yielding fruit. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation commissioned the Mohammed VI Football Academy in 2009, a state-of-the-art facility that is the largest in Africa and one of the largest in the world with recognition from FIFA. The academy, which cost around $13 million to build, is a home that develops talent domestically.
The result has seen Morocco dominate on the African continent, with its club side Wydad Casablanca and RS Berkane current holders of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup respectively. The national team, made up of home-based players, are also the current holders of the African Nations Championship. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) are also keen to develop women’s football, showing their footprints with the women’s national team- current holders of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations. ASFAR are also the holders of the CAF Women’s Champions League. Additionally, the FMRF set up a scouting department to lure some of the best players in the diaspora into the national team setup.
All these moves by Morocco have clearly set them apart and shows their intention to be a force to be reckoned with. They have laid out the template other African teams that desire to dominate on the global stage need to follow. Morocco is already looking to the future after their World Cup achievement, showing an indication they are not resting on the laurels.
If these kinds of initiatives are not replicated by other African countries, it will impact the quality of football and make switching allegiances less attractive as seen with the Nigeria Football Federation’s failed attempts to lure bright stars from the next generation, namely former Chelsea duo Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori who have both been capped by England.
Failure to attain these targets will likely leave Africa rooted to the bottom of the football food chain- a dark and misfortune position for a continent beaming with talent both home and abroad.
Hopefully, Morocco’s success will be a catalyst for change within African football.
