West France highlights the exceptional role played by the Mohamed VI Football Academy in positioning Morocco at the forefront of the global football stage, marking nearly fifteen years since its inception.
Since its establishment in 2009, the Mohamed VI Academy, situated near the capital Rabat in Salé, has been dedicated to nurturing Moroccan players within infrastructures comparable to those owned by the world’s premier football clubs, West France reported on its website.
The facility, inaugurated in 2010, boasts a state-of-the-art complex that includes natural and artificial football pitches, indoor facilities, and even a beach football area.
With its sprawling 18-hectare expanse, the academy possesses facilities that rival giant European establishments, the newspaper added.
Apart from its role in training and development, the academy supports the education of young talents through ten equipped classrooms and a dedicated media platform, according to the former technical director of the academy.
The article quoted the former technical director stating, “Very few clubs provide accommodation.
Children come for training and return home.
Families were very happy to entrust their children to an institution that was undoubtedly in its early days but bet on the future, not just football.”
West France noted that the academy has begun to yield results, with its most notable achievement being the Moroccan national team’s advancement to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Among the 23 Moroccan champions, four received their training at the Mohamed VI Academy, including three official players (Achraf Hakimi, Reda Tagnaouti, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Nayef Aguerd).
In addition to training local players, the academy has demonstrated to Moroccan immigrants that the country is progressing.
Thanks to this prominence, the Moroccan national team managed to convince several high-profile players born in Europe, such as Achraf Hakimi, Hakim Ziyech, Sofiane Amrabat, Nacer Mazraoui, Sofiane Boufal, and Amin Harit, to play for the Atlas Lions.
If the qualification for the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar attracts attention, it is not the only recent achievement for a country moving steadily forward.
West France noted that recently the under-17 team qualified for the first time in history for the World Cup, and the under-23 team has already qualified for the Olympics.
Former technical director Mr. Larguet concluded by saying, “We have achieved results on the world stage.
This encourages players to choose Morocco. Today, Morocco presents a very good offer, and all of this started from the academy.”
