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Rabat – Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of Morocco’s Football Federation (FRMF), again commented this week on the “baseless” allegations that linked him to a ploy to delay the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.
In a comprehensive interview with Jeune Afrique, Lekjaa spoke emphatically of how Morocco supported Cameroon’s bid to host the AFCON.
Responding to rumors that he was in favor of delaying the continental competition, Lekjaa reiterated that the claims are unfounded.
“This is absolutely not the case. These are rumors without foundation or logic. At the CAF general assembly in Cairo, we unanimously validated the start of the AFCON from January 9,” Lekjaa said.
Cameroon was due to host this edition two years ago, but it “needed time to be fully prepared,” the FRMF official said, noting that Morocco was “doing everything possible to help Cameroon organize the competition.”
Of Morocco’s recent rise as one of the best football nations in Africa, Lekjaa argued that the North African country has only regained the place it deserves in African football.
Morocco’s absence from Africa’s highest-profile football bodies “was unwarranted and made no sense,” Lekjaa said in his interview, stressing that this was corrected after the CAF’s Addis Ababa congress in 2017.
“We then consolidated it within the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), then on the Fifa Council,” he said.
Lekjaa also recalled Morocco’s commitment to the development of African and global football.
“Morocco is now actively and continuously participating in the development of African and world football,” he said.
Recalling Morocco’s initiatives to develop football in Africa, Lekjaa said that the North African country has been one of the main players actively engaged in promoting solidarity in African football.
“Take the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, for example. We have hosted more than 25 matches by mobilizing all our stadiums to welcome our brothers of different nationalities,” he said.
Morocco’s determination to contribute to continental football is part of King Mohammed VI’s vision of South-South cooperation.
Continuous dialogue with Eto’o for safeguarding players’ health
Speaking about the concerning health context of the ongoing AFCON amid the COVID-19 crisis, Lekjaa congratulated Cameroon for its efforts to safeguard players’ and the technical team’s health.
The FRMF boss said Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Mostepe invited members of the Executive Committee to a meeting to discuss health security amid COVID-19.
“At the end of this meeting, I myself congratulated Cameroon for its adaptation efforts. We have always been by his side and vice versa,” he said.
The FRMF chairman announced that he is in “continuous and permanent contact” with Samuel Eto’o, the head of Cameroon’s Football Federation regarding the health security of the Moroccan national team.
“Morocco’s team has been in Cameroon since January 2, making them one of the first to arrive. Finally, I would remind you that the last time the AFCON took place in Cameroon, it was won by Morocco,” he said.
Asked about the scenes of fair play and solidarity that marked the Morocco-Algeria quarterfinal game at the recently concluded Arab Cup, Lekjaa insisted on the need for football to transcend politics.
“It all depends on the maturity of states. The kingdom of Morocco has more than twelve centuries of history, and we are far from this logic. Football is football,” he said.
The official recalled Morocco’s hosting of a World Cup qualifier match between Algeria and Burkina Faso.
Marrakech hosted the match amid flaring tensions between Morocco and Algeria.
While some Algerian media tried to politicize the Algerian team’s trip to Morocco, “the president of the Algerian Federation and his coach were very clear: football is football. The rest is politics,” Lekjaa said.
