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Join on Telegram Rabat – The Serbian Embassy in Morocco has refused to issue visas to members of the Ain Sebaa High School sports club to travel to Serbia to participate in an international handball championship.
Recently, there has been a lot of bad press coverage about Moroccan athletes who have illegally fled airports or the training camps after landing in Europe to partake in international tournaments.
Moroccan newspaper Assabah reports that the Serbian Embassy refused to issue visas to the Ain Sebaa High School handball delegation “to avoid any new cases of attempted illegal immigration.”
Should the embassy maintain its decision, the team is unlikely to take part in the international handball competition that began last Saturday and will run until December 5.
The Serbian embassy reportedly justified its refusal by its fear that Moroccan athletes would flee their delegation in an attempt to immigrate illegally to Europe.
“Moroccan athletes have a bad reputation as many athletes who participated in events in Serbia escaped from their residence to immigrate illegally,” Assabah reported.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports has tried to intervene with the Serbian diplomatic representation to reach a common ground but has so far failed to convince the embassy to review its decision, noted Assabah’s report. A second intervention by the International School Sports Federation is also reported to have ended in failure.
Several incidents have prompted questions about why athletes illegally flee their residences or training camps when participating in international contests in Europe.
Earlier this month, two Moroccan wrestlers took advantage of their participation in the World Wrestling Championship in Serbia to flee illegally upon landing in Belgrade.
Read Also: 2 Moroccan Wrestlers Escape in Serbia After Landing for U23 Championship
In September, three players of the Moroccan national volleyball team, namely Soufiane Dkhissi, Abdallah Sadil, and Noureddine Khayati escaped once they landed in Italy for the World volleyball Championships.
Five months prior, two Moroccan boxers disappeared after reaching Poland for the 2021 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships.
When asked why many of them attempt to legally or illegally flee to Europe, Moroccan athletes regularly argue that the Moroccan sporting system is underdeveloped and does not offer the necessary equipment and training facilities for athletes to fulfil their potential and reach international prominence.
