By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (December 20^th 2025)

Disrespected

Morocco’s coach Walid Regragui explained that the Atlas Lions had received some assistance from foreign-based clubs regarding the planned arrival of players, but that did not extend to Manchester United. The 20 times champions of England’s top-flight claimed that they have been treated unfairly by Morocco – they haven’t been.

In fact, Morocco’s second hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has been subjected to gross disrespect from the beginning. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) stepped in to host the 35^th AFCON in September 2023 after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stripped Guinea of hosting rights a year earlier. Morocco planned to host the event in the summer just passed – it is their winter now just like in Europe.

Morocco has developed an attractive style of football – one that flows best in the summer. Instead, they were given a nasty choice. It is obvious that Morocco is at its peak now – a fact recognised by African and Moroccan great Zaki Badou. He wanted Morocco to host in 2022, but that was Cameroon’s long overdue turn. La Côte d’Ivoire was due a turn too and in fact, Guinea too, but Guinea Conakry as it’s sometimes known lagged too far behind the required standard, partly due to political upheavals there.

2025 became Morocco’s best and possibly last chance, as the summer of 2027 meant that this Golden generation of talented players would have been five years removed from their greatest achievement to date – the semi-final of the World Cup. Also, if they had waited to accommodate Gianni Infantino’s four-year AFCON wish another World Cup with a bigger array of teams would have taken place with no guarantee of repetition.

2025 was Morocco’s best and possibly last chance to benefit from the host and win philosophy and the FRMF knew it. Their best chance to win in style and host a successful tournament was the summer of 2025. There was plenty of time to accommodate that, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino had other ideas. He had made no secret of his wish for AFCON to occur every four years and even that is to be at his dictate.

European Precedence Trumps Reason

Under former CAF presidents Ydnekachew Tessema and Issa Hayatou, there was no chance of securing CAF approval for this. But this time the disrespect was palpable. Not only did Infantino have plans to assuage Europeans objections at Africa’s expense, but Infantino and FIFA had money-making plans that would not allow Morocco to host when it wanted to. Infantino and FIFA must have known that Morocco’s climate had its own demands – it is the rainy season in the land of the Atlas Mountains, so much so that flash floods in Safi proved fatal last week.

There’s no doubt that it suited the needs of all bar Infantino and his followers that the 35^th AFCON should have taken place in the summer just passed. Morocco’s climate suits that, the interests of clubs with AFCON-bound players suits it as well, as those players won’t be required for AFCON during the Christmas season.

Many years ago, I had an exclusive interview with the French coach Claude le Roy who was deemed African due to his love and commitment to African football.

“The clever thing,” he said, “is for European football to have winter breaks.”