Morocco play the ‘fair play’ rule against Ivory Coast

In the spirit of fair play, the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) Fouzi Lekjaa has decided to withdraw the Kingdom of Morocco’s bid to host the 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League.

Lekjaa, who is also an executive committee member of CAF as well as a FIFA Council member, instead chose to back Ivory Coast’s bid for women’s premier club competition.

The 52-year-old announced the decision during CAF’s Executive Committee meeting today (Thursday) in Algiers, Algeria.

Lekjaa reasoned that his decision stemmed from the strong ties between the two brotherly countries. He felt that it is an opportunity for the FRMF to support and accompany the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF), which will also host the men's Africa Nations Cup from 13 January to 11 February 2024.

With the issue regarding bids for the CAF Women’s Champions League 2023 sorted, the Executive Committee discussed several matters on the agenda including the dates and format of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, and Coaching/Development Courses that will be rolled out in Member Associations in line with CAF’s commitment to football development in Africa.

Lekjaa has been celebrated as the rock behind the revolution of Moroccan football.

Under his reign as boss, Morocco has seen colossal investment in the national football league and sporting infrastructure.

During his time, Moroccan clubs have achieved success on the continental stage, winning three CAF Super Cup titles, two Champions League titles, and reaching five finals.

His decision to appoint Moroccan coach Walid Regragui was brave and incredible considering that the local coach led the Atlas Lions through a historic run that saw them reach the World Cup’s semi-finals.

Morocco is currently bidding to host the 2025 Africa Nations Cup and 2030 World Cup tournaments.