Adil Azeroual

Mohamed Mehdi Bensaïd has taken on a new portfolio as minister of Youth, Culture and Sports, with a long list of challenges ahead. Drawing lessons from Moroccan football and golf, reforming the country’s sports legislation, strengthening school sports, supporting federations and attracting major international competitions are among the priorities facing the minister.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised Morocco and King Mohammed VI on Friday, October 16, as the country prepared to host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup from October 17 to November 7.

The Spanish federation was fined €18,000 and ordered to partially close the stands for the national team’s next home friendly.

A fake statement presented as an official announcement by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), claiming that Senegal had been declared winners of the Africa Cup of Nations, has been circulating on social media for several hours.

On the eve of Thursday’s hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Morocco and Senegal are preparing for the latest chapter in the legal dispute over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final. At the heart of the case is Senegal’s withdrawal from the pitch during the match and the application of Articles 82 and 84 of the CAF competition regulations, which formed the basis for the decision to declare Senegal the losing side by forfeit and award the title to Morocco.

The hearing over the dispute surrounding the final will take place on October 8 in Lausanne, with representatives of Morocco and Senegal attending in person and CAF represented by its legal advisers.

A day after his barely veiled threat that Spain could pull out of the 2030 World Cup, LaLiga president Javier Tebas now says the final will be played in Morocco as long as Gianni Infantino remains at the helm of FIFA. It is the latest move in the same strategy: drawing the battle over the final into the power struggle between FIFA and UEFA and ratcheting up pressure on the head of world football’s governing body.

The Catalan club initially hesitated over the initiative before deciding that none of its players would take part, with concerns over the Morocco-born star’s exposure to racist abuse also playing a role.

After explosive remarks by LaLiga president Javier Tebas, Spanish Football Federation chief Rafael Louzán has once again waded into the debate, insisting that the 2030 World Cup final “must be played in Spain and not Morocco.” It is the latest intervention in a growing Spanish fixation over a match FIFA has yet to award.