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Join on Telegram Rabat – The National Judicial Police Brigade (BNPJ) has opened an investigation into the disappearance of tickets for Morocco’s matches during the 2022 World Cup.
The judicial police launched a preliminary investigation into the circumstances of the case by summoning parliamentarian Mohammed El Hidaoui for statements, according to Moroccan newspaper Assabah.
El Hidaoui, who is a member of Morocco’s ruling political party Rally of Independents (RNI), gave his statement to the judicial police on Friday.
A member of Morocco’s Football Federation board, El Hidaoui has been linked to the case of tickets disappearing a few days ahead of Morocco’s semifinal match against France.
Failure to secure tickets to watch the game angered fans, who traveled from across the world, particularly Morocco, to cheer for the Atlas Lions.
The disappearance of tickets also came a few days following Morocco’s football federation vow to give away 13,000 free tickets for fans to attend the game against France.
Converging reports, however, stressed that tickets were distributed in a “suspicious way,” while others have been sold for over double of their original prices.
The event caused frustration among Moroccans, who took to social media to express their shock and dismay at the lack of available tickets.
Many of the fans also called for an investigation into the case, linking it to a possible embezzlement and scam affair.
Earlier this month, RNI published a release, announcing that it had referred El Hidaoui to a disciplinary committee regarding the ticket case.
However, citizens and fans found it necessary for Morocco’s judicial police to carry out an independent investigation to determine the circumstances of the case.
