Early elimination of the Atlas Lions of the CAN, scandal of the final of the Champions League ES Tunis-Wydad AC, the RS Berkane finalist of the CAF Cup, the historic TAS de Casablanca crown in the Throne Cup… A look back at the main highlights of Moroccan football in 2019. If the year 2018 had its share of achievements with a Cup of the African Football Confederation (CAF) for Raja de Casablanca, an African Nations Championship for the national selection of local and a qualification for the final phase of the World Cup after an absence of 20 years, the year 2019 has not been as successful for national football at the continental level.
Atlas Lions Surprise Elimination
The most pessimistic of Football fans did not expect Morocco to be eliminated early by the modest Benin team in the Round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in Egypt last June, having been one of the favorites for the competition after a full-strength squad in the group stages (9 points scored) and their performance at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Rades Scandal
At club level in the championship, Wydad de Casablanca missed out by refusing to continue with the Champions League final played in the Olympic stadium in Rades against Esperance de Tunis, in protest against the failure to use video assistance to referee (VAR), which was broken after a goal scored by Walid El karti. After a long interruption, the referee ruled that VAR could be used, and declared the winner. Most Football fans considered the end of the match to be one of the scandals that will go down in the annals of African and international football.
Cécifoot(Blind soccer), Morocco still African champions
This year’s crowning achievement was the work of Cecifoot’s national team, who were crowned African champions thanks to their victory in the final against Mali, played on December 1st in Enugu in south-eastern Nigeria. The Moroccan team thus retained the title of African Champion that it won in the previous edition and managed to validate its ticket for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Historic TAS de Casablanca Award
At the national level, the Tihad Athletic Sportif de Casablanca shone brightly by winning the title of the Football Throne Cup (2018-2019) for the first time in its history thanks to its victory (2-1) against Hassania d’Agadir (HUSA), at the end of a final played at the stadium of honor in Oujda. The Casablanca club thus achieved the great honor of adding their name to the list of winners of this prestigious competition after an open and balanced final between this second division club and the Agadir club.
With regard to the management of national football, the year 2019 was marked by the creation of two new leagues, namely the National Women’s Football League and the National League of Diversified Football, which, in accordance with their statutes established by the FRMF(Royal Moroccan Football Federation), will be responsible for organizing competitions and sporting events between affiliated sports associations, in addition to contributing to the study and implementation of sports development projects and the training of technical staff in the field.
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