Senegal are proud winners of all football competitions in Africa.

The West Africans have claimed five titles over the last two years.

Besides the U17 AFCON title that they won last Friday, Senegal won the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) title in February and the U20 AFCON title in Egypt in March.

These three are an addition to the 2021 AFCON 2021 and AFCON Beach Soccer titles they plundered last year.

Senegal must be doing something right and are almost certain of dominating African football.

But if there is a country likely to end this dominance, it has to be Morocco.

If there is a team that will pose a threat to Senegal’s continental achievements shortly, it will only be Morocco.

Last Friday, Morocco’s Atlas Cubs lost the final 2-1 to Senegal, ultimately finishing the competition as runners-up but still securing a spot at the U17 World Cup, set to be held in Brazil later this year.

But in the aftermath of the final, Senegal’s U17 team Head Coach Saliou Dia paid tribute to Morocco’s U17 national football –a team he believes is the closest to challenging Senegal soon.

“We played against a very strong team,” Dia said after the match.

Morocco’s coach Said Chiba was named as the competition’s best coach, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) describing him as a “leader” and “mastermind.”

“Our players gave an honorable performance. We thank everyone for their great support, starting with the King who has been our number one fan,” CAF quoted Chiba as saying. We thank the Academies and all the technical centers that prepared these players.”

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI congratulated the country’s U17 national football team for their performance. The King spoke to the team’s coach Said Chiba, offering his “sincere congratulations” to the players and the technical and administrative staff for the performances, said Morocco’s Press Agency (MAP).

Secrets behind Morocco’s rise

Chiba says Morocco’s impressive run to the final was a result of years of investment.

The achievements of Moroccan soccer over the years, particularly through the last year, are a testimony to the unprecedented revival of national teams in all categories, on the back of the farsighted strategy established by His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

King Mohammed VI

That this has been possible, thanks to a high level of infrastructural development, planning, and interest in academies and training centers.

For starters, the Atlas Cubs are products of Morocco’s established youth structures at different levels. These are the Mohammed VI Academy of Football (nine players), AS FAR (five players), FUS (four players), MAS, Hassania of Agadir, Ittihad of Tangier, and Raja (one player per club).

The Mohammed VI Football Academy was founded in 2009 at the instigation of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

In his letter to the National Sports Conference held in Skhirat on October 24, 2008, His Majesty the King called for the development of a modern and efficient system to organize the sports sector based on the "restructuring of the national sports landscape and the upgrading of sports organizations with a view to their professionalization, as well as the democratization of the bodies responsible for their management".

It’s reported that this letter proved a turning point in the evolution of sports in the country, with several reforms and restructured projects following through, including the Mohammed VI Football Academy.

The Mohammed VI Football Academy –the jewel that has produced several Moroccan stars, was built based on the best international standards in terms of training centers.

This academy was expected to prepare Moroccan talents in a professional environment, and that over time, a majority of them would have the quality to play for some of the best football clubs in the world.

Among the rewards of such an investment was Morocco’s impressive performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the Atlas Lions became the first African country to reach the semi-finals.

This performance has since inspired the junior and women’s teams.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (RMFF) plans to continue implementing King Mohammad’s vision by rolling out more training centers in all clubs.

More funds will also be channeled in logistical, and administrative areas of the game.