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Rabat – In response to recent controversial statements by former Cameroon international football player Roger Milla, former Moroccan football players have voiced their shock and reminded their Cameroonian that “Moroccans are Africans,” and that Morocco has a long history of commitment to the continent.
Milla recently attacked Morocco and Egypt in an interview, accusing the two countries of “always making a mess” in Africa.
“If they are not African, they can go play in Europe, Asia, or any other, but they can’t keep causing a mess in Africa,” Milla said in an interview with TV5 Monde.
The statements sparked a heated debate about the apparently unsettled perception gap between North Africans and sub-Saharan Africans, prompting former Moroccan football players Aziz Bouderbala and Mustapha El Hadaoui to respond to the allegations of Morocco’s dubious African identity.
Bouderbala said he was deeply shocked by Milla’s remarks.
“He has always been a great friend of Moroccans, but unfortunately he reacted to a rumor when he would have been well informed first.”
Bouderbala further argued that Morocco has always put the continent’s development as a priority.
“Take for example the last matches of the World Cup qualifiers and where Morocco welcomed several [sub-Saharan] nations with open arms so that they could play their matches even though there were several risks, especially with regard to health,” Radio Mars quoted Bouderabala as saying.
The former Moroccan player emphasized that no one has the legitimacy to question the Africanness of Morocco and the country’s commitment to African causes.
Moroccans are Africans and “we will always remain so,” he argued.
In addition to accusing Morocco and Egypt of “causing a mess” on the continent, Milla also repeated widely reported claims that the two countries tried to delay the organization of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
But Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of the Moroccan Royal Football federation (FRMF), has strongly denied the claims that he campaigned to have AFCON delayed.
“In November, we were in Egypt for the CAF [Confederation of African Football] General Assembly and everyone was unanimous about starting CAN on January 9, as planned,” Lekjaa said this week in an interview with RFI.
He added that no one suggested delaying the tournament.
Like Bouderbala, Mustapha El Haddaoui said he was also stunned by Milla’s questioning of Morocco’s African identity and commitment to the continent.
Milla has visited Morocco several times and he “received an enormous welcome from Moroccans,” El Haddaoui said, suggesting that the Cameroonian should have known better than to recycle unproven accusations of Morocco’s supposed hostility to Cameroon’s hosting of the AFCON.
Milla’s remarks are especially shocking because Morocco has always been a good friend to Cameroon and supported the Central African country in its bid to host the AFCON, El Hadoui emphasized.
Prior to recent accusations of Lekjaa’s actions to delay the continental tournament, there had been several reports alleging that logistical concerns could lead to yet another change in the AFCON schedule.
The report was that Morocco would be a potential replacement of Cameroon as the host country should CAF deem the central African country not ready to organize the AFCON.
But Moroccan authorities were quick to lament and deny what they qualified as unfounded and unfortunate rumors; they repeatedly voiced Morocco’s support for Camerron’s bid to host the competition.
