FRMF bans Moroccan football academies from using names of foreign clubs

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

The decision forms part of a wider move by the Moroccan football authorities to establish a national framework governing the organisation and management of private football academies and schools across the country.

According to a statement published on the FRMF’s website on Sunday, the restriction applies to academies and schools that operate under the name of a foreign club, regardless of whether they have an official partnership or another form of relationship with that club.

The federation said the measure follows studies examining national organisational and strategic mechanisms for the development of football in Morocco.

Under the new approach, private academies are expected to operate within a framework that places greater emphasis on national structures and priorities rather than identifying directly with foreign clubs.

The FRMF said the decision is intended to reinforce the country’s football training and coaching system. It also aims to establish greater independence for private academies and schools operating in Morocco.

The federation considers the development of youth football to be an important part of its national strategy. The new framework is therefore designed to ensure that the work of private academies is aligned with the country’s broader objectives for football development.

The decision also covers academies that have links with foreign clubs, meaning the restriction is not limited only to institutions without formal relationships. Schools and academies operating through partnerships with overseas teams are also affected if they use those clubs’ names.

The FRMF said the new policy is aimed at creating an environment better suited to developing young Moroccan footballers.

The federation’s approach seeks to place the training of future generations within a more unified national structure, while ensuring that private football academies contribute to Morocco’s own football development objectives.

The latest decision represents a further step by the FRMF towards regulating private football education and training in the country. Academies and schools will now have to operate independently of foreign club identities while remaining within the national framework established by the federation.

The FRMF concluded that the policy is designed to strengthen Morocco’s training system and support the development of new generations of footballers in an organised and cohesive environment.