Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Former Cameroonian football player Roger Milla has apologized for questioning the African identity of North African countries and accusing Morocco and Egypt of attempting to delay the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
“If they are not African, they can go play in Europe, Asia, or any other, but they can’t keep causing a mess inA frica,” he had said in an interview with TV5 Monde
With that interview having caused a stir and revived traditional identity debates between North Africans and sub-Saharans, Milla spoke to Moroccan broadcaster Radio Mars over the weekend to apologize for his remarks against Egypt and Morocco.
The former Cameroonian footballer said he did not think his comments, which were “neither against Morocco nor against the Royal Moroccan Football Federation,” would create such controversy.
“Moroccans are my sisters and brothers. We must not forget that I am still in Morocco. I didn’t think there was going to be a controversy and I didn’t want it to be,” he said.
Milla emphasized that what he meant is that “we are all African countries and if a country organizes a CAN, Morocco should support it. That’s all.”
Morocco has indeed expressed support for Cameroon amid rumors and reports suggesting that the North African country could be a good replacement if Cameroon failed to be ready on schedule to host AFCON.
The rumors emerged after experts from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) perceived delays in Cameroon’s completion of construction projects — mainly stadiums and hotels — dedicated to hosting the continental tournament.
“But in no way can I criticize an African country,” Milla said, suggesting that his comments were misunderstood or taken out of context.
After news emerged of the former Cameroonian player’s controversial comments, several iconic figures from Morocco’s football industry responded to his remarks.
The first response came from Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF).
“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 last week in an interview with RFI.
For their part, former Moroccan football players Aziz Bouderbala and Mustapha El Hadaoui said they were shocked by Milla’s allegations.
“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 said of Milla.
El Hadaoui echoed that sentiment, pointing out that the former Cameroonian player has visited Morocco several times, where he has always been welcomed.
Morocco is African and “we will always remain Africans,” Bouderbala said.
