Morocco: FRMF bans foreign club names from football academies

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has banned private football academies and training schools in Morocco from using the names of foreign clubs, including those operating under partnerships or other links with overseas teams.

The decision was announced by the federation on Sunday as part of measures aimed at creating a national framework for the organisation and management of private football academies and schools across the country.

The new rule means academies carrying the names of foreign clubs will no longer be permitted under the federation’s framework.

“As part of the development of a national framework for the organization and management of private football academies and schools based in the Kingdom of Morocco, and based on studies conducted on national organizational and strategic mechanisms for football development, it has been decided to prohibit the creation of any academies and schools bearing the names of foreign clubs.”

FRMF sets out reasons for the decision

The federation said the restriction also covers academies that have formal partnerships with foreign clubs or maintain other forms of links with them.

“This ban also applies to academies and schools that have partnerships with these clubs or any other type of links ,” the body added.

The FRMF said the measure forms part of a wider effort to place private football academies within a national structure and strengthen oversight of their activities.

The federation explained that the decision was intended to support “strengthening the training component and national supervision”.

It also cited the need for “establishing the principle of autonomy of private football academies and schools in perfect harmony with the national strategic orientations for the development of football”.

The final objective outlined by the federation is “training new generations of footballers in a compact environment” .

Foreign-branded academies face uncertainty

The new policy raises questions over the future of academies in Morocco that operate under the names of well-known foreign clubs.

One example is the Juventus Academy Morocco, which could be among the structures affected by the federation’s decision.

Other academies with similar arrangements may also face uncertainty as the new framework is implemented.

The FRMF’s decision specifically refers not only to the use of foreign club names but also to academies and schools that have partnerships or other links with those clubs.

This makes the measure broader than a simple restriction on branding and places the organisation of private football development under a more clearly defined national framework.

The federation’s announcement comes as Morocco continues to place emphasis on the development and organisation of football at youth level.

🚨 OFFICIEL ! La FRMF interdit désormais aux académies et d’écoles privées de football de porter des noms de clubs étrangers au Maroc. pic.twitter.com/n87Bf2M1vY

— KoraMaroc (@AtKoraMaroc) August 9, 2026

New standards for academies

According to SNRTnews, the reform also introduces strict requirements covering several areas of academy operations.

These include infrastructure, equipment, insurance and security, as well as the qualifications required of coaches working within the academies and training schools.

The requirements form part of the wider framework that the FRMF is seeking to establish for private football education and player development in Morocco.

The federation’s objective is to ensure that these structures operate independently while remaining aligned with national football development priorities.

The changes could therefore have a significant effect on private academies operating in Morocco, particularly those connected to foreign clubs.

For the FRMF, however, the central focus remains the organisation of youth development, national supervision and the preparation of future generations of Moroccan footballers within a unified framework.