Rabat – Olympic gold medalist Soufiane El Bakkali took to Instagram on Thursday to criticize Morocco’s athleticism authorities, bringing to attention the lack of motivation for the country’s top athletes.

“Failed plans that do not motivate players,” the top athlete said on his Instagram story. “Please reconsider.”

El Bakkali appeared to be referring to the award prizes Morocco’s Olympic Committee plans to give Moroccan athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

His Thursday’s Instagram statement put El Bakkali on a long — and growing — list of former and current athletes who have taken shots at Morocco’s athletic authorities, deeming the announced prizes unsatisfactory and even demotivating.   

The National Moroccan Olympic Committee had announced that it plans to pay each gold medalist at the Olympics MAD 2 million, with silver medalists receiving MAD 1.25 million, and bronze medalists receiving MAD 750,000.

Not the only voice

On Thursday, several ex-athletes went live on Facebook to also vent frustrations over the perceived mishandling of Morocco’s athletic talents and infrastructure.

Stating their willingness to commit their time and labor to the Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation (FRMA), they voiced frustrations and demanded that the federation’s leadership change and give priorities to decorated Moroccan athletes.

Concerns over the decline of athletics in Morocco have been a major debate topic in the country for the past few years. The North African country, which was a consistent top performer in international events, has failed to live up to that standard recently, with El Bakkali’s constant wins on the world stage being one of a few rare exceptions.

Athletes and experts have pointed to a variety of reasons for this decline, but they seem to always highlight mismanagement and corruption within the country’s athletic system, as well as lacking infrastructure and technical staff.

Wydad AC’s previous physical coach Driss Ouajjou recently refused to join the Federation, Moroccan newspaper Assabah reported on Friday.

Ouajjou reportedly cited inadequate technical staff and scouting problems, becoming the latest in a string of voices that are criticizing the country’s sporting authorities.

Lack of coherent vision

Moroccan athletics lacks a coherent vision and project, one ex-athlete told Morocco World News on the condition of anonymity. “Some are only working for personal benefit, and you can’t treat a coaching job as an administrative one, you need a concrete project and goals.”

A revolving door of coaches on different levels that don’t have the necessary qualifications or vision to take the reins has not helped the issue, the same source argues, saying many have been treating their jobs as permanent posts.

He added that contracts should be re-examined regularly to evaluate whether projects and goals were accomplished, and that they should be scrapped if goals are not met.

The athlete pointed the flaws back to Abdeslam Ahizoune taking over presidency of the FRMA, criticizing the practice of appointing individuals with no sporting experience in high ranks.

One sign of a lacking coherent vision, the athlete argued, has been the lack of balance between Morocco’s different regions, with some being neglected while others receive a disproportionate amount of attention.

While regions such as Beni-Mellal, Tangier, and the Southern provinces do not get any resources, cities like Rabat and Casablanca boast multiple academies.

Given Morocco’s declining sports infrastructure and its notable failure to instill the love of athletics in a large segment of Moroccan youth, it is then no surprise that the country has been producing mediocre results in a field where it used to excel.

Looking to the future

Nearly all the former and current athletes who have been harshly critical of the current system agree on one topic: Morocco’s entire athletic infrastructure needs a radical overhaul.

According to the athlete who requested anonymity to speak to MWN, it is essential for new executives with significant athletic experience to take the reins of the FRMA.

Ex-athletes should be the ones being relied on as technical staff, he added.

Clubs should also be enjoying better funding and support to develop better players, he argued, adding that regional academies should also be established in a more equitable way to give regions lacking in infrastructure places where they can develop their talents.

The problems plaguing the Moroccan athletic system should also not be dismissed because of “rare” successes such as El Bakkali, he added, specifying that hiring and administrative practices should be based on long-term projects and visions.

With international authorities promoting talents from the US and Europe more, thus giving them better training opportunities and infrastructure, Morocco runs the risk of lagging behind the rest of the world, adding to the urgency of taking action to improve its sporting infrastructures.