(CNN) — After 3 hours of continuous noise, Education City Stadium went completely silent, after Ashraf Hakimi stalled around the penalty spot.
Hakimi was born in Madrid and had Africa and the Arab world on his shoulders, but you never imagined that the Paris Saint-Germain player calmly slammed the ball into the net and unleashed wild celebrations not only on the pitch, but also in Morocco and the Moroccan diaspora.
Historic day for Morocco, Africa, Arabs and Muslims: the “Lions of the Atlas” stunned Spain, who won the 2010 World Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Coach Walid Regragui has not lost sight of the importance of this occasion.
“In the past only Moroccans supported us, now it’s Africans and Arabs,” said Regragui before the match against Spain.
For many it was the shock of the tournament, as the North Africans won their first knockout match of the World Cup, but how did Morocco reach the quarter-finals of world football’s most prestigious tournament?
The return of Morocco’s chosen son
I was amazed when the Moroccan FA made the decision to sack Vahid Halilodjic last August, just over three months before the World Cup finals, after the Bosnian coach had led the team through qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
But for those in Morocco, it was instead the heir to the Moroccan throne who took his place in due course.
Nicknamed ‘The Avocado Head’ due to his bald head, Walid Regragui was a tough defender who, despite his French birth, chose to represent his family’s nation, making 45 caps.
Since becoming manager, Regragui has found success wherever he has been, leading Moroccan mid-table club Al-Fateh Rabat to their only domestic title.
He spent a short spell in Qatar, winning the league with Al Duhail, before returning to Morocco where he guided Wydad Casablanca to the league and Champions League double earlier this year.
It was a matter of time, not if he would take charge of the national team, many Moroccans thought it could happen after the World Cup or in a few years, but none of them regretted when it was announced that he would take charge of the national team. the national team less than 100 days earlier, his first match in the World Cup.
In African football, Regragui is often compared to Jose Mourinho due to his tactical discipline and excellent managerial skills, both of which featured at the World Cup.
Navigating tournaments like the World Cup can be emotionally difficult, with players away from home for weeks, but Regragui has responded by allowing players’ families to stay with the team at the camp in Qatar.
The Federation takes football very seriously
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) should also be credited for the Atlas Lions’ success in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
After decades of mediocre football, the Moroccan Football Federation, with the support of King Mohammed VI, set out to reform the country’s football structure.
In 2009, the Moroccan Football Federation opened its Mohammed VI Football Academy, which has helped develop existing internationals such as Nayef Akrad and Youssef Nasri, as well as scouting the Moroccan diaspora for talent by hiring scouts from all over Europe to scout out any qualified young players in Europe.
The association has also begun investing in women’s football, developing school and club football and establishing a national league structure. With the support of the Football Federation, Morocco is currently the only country in the world to have two levels of women’s football that are both fully professional.
Moroccan men’s and women’s clubs and teams have achieved a number of achievements at the continental level.
Morocco’s World Cup success may be the best story of the tournament so far, but it is not the result of luck and determination, but of experience and planning.
