{"id":1264532,"date":"2022-12-12T12:23:59","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T12:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/12\/12\/world-cup-2022-morocco-run-to-semi-final-can-galvanise-african-football\/"},"modified":"2022-12-12T12:23:59","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T12:23:59","slug":"world-cup-2022-morocco-run-to-semi-final-can-galvanise-african-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/12\/12\/world-cup-2022-morocco-run-to-semi-final-can-galvanise-african-football\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup 2022: Morocco run to semi-final can ‘galvanise’ African football"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Morocco have only conceded one goal in eight games since Walid Regragui took over as coach in August<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n
Host nation:<\/strong> Qatar <\/span>Dates: <\/strong>20 November-18 December <\/span>Coverage: <\/strong>Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC World Service, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. <\/span>Day-by-day TV listings<\/span> \u2013 <\/span>Full coverage details<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Morocco\u2019s success in becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals can \u201cgalvanise\u201d the continent, according to one of African football\u2019s top officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Atlas Lions <\/span>beat Portugal 1-0 on Saturday<\/span> to make history, and will now face defending champions France in the last four in Qatar on Wednesday (19:00 GMT).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

However, Veron Mosengo-Omba, the general secretary of Confederation of African Football (Caf), says more investment and resources must be made available for other countries to match the achievement by the North Africans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMorocco show it is possible for Africa to shortly have more teams in the World Cup semi-final, and even in the final,\u201d Mosengo-Omba told BBC Sport Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Moroccan result will, for sure, galvanise the entire continent. But galvanising and dreaming is not enough to grow [the game] and make African football more competitive to win the World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs concrete actions and long-term efforts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Morocco\u2019s squad contains several foreign-born players, a large part of their success stems from the vast support \u2013 both emotional and financial \u2013 the team has received from the country\u2019s football federation (FMRF). <\/span><\/p>\n

Almost uniquely in Africa, the FMRF is prepared to invest huge sums in the country\u2019s national teams, with the $20m (\u00a316.29m) devoted to women\u2019s football over a four-year period a clear example of its aims.<\/span><\/p>\n

That support helped Morocco reach both its first Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations final and qualify for the Women\u2019s World Cup earlier this year. The men\u2019s team have been equally helped by the impressive facilities at the Mohamed VI training complex, which is unrivalled on the continent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMorocco is an example to follow,\u201d Mosengo-Omba added.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe government and the federation work hand-in-hand on football development of infrastructures and training programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, and in addition, Caf and its member associations also need to continue progressing on good governance practices to implement good intentions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018First time I\u2019ve cried at a match\u2019<\/h3>\n

Morocco coach Walid Regragui has talked about the importance of having ambition and dreaming of lifting the World Cup, while Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly said before the finals that <\/span>African countries should set higher goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Qatar, only Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) had reached the last eight at the tournament, but Morocco\u2019s victory at the Al Thumama Stadium has rewritten the history books.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regragui, who took charge in August, said self-belief has been an important factor in their run to the last four, having emerged from a group which contained Belgium, ranked second in the world, and 2018 runners-up Croatia before seeing off <\/span>2010 World Cup winners Spain in the last 16.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone thought we were going to be knocked out in the first round,\u201d the 47-year-old said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I was telling the players was that we have elite players \u2013 [Hakim] Ziyech for Chelsea, [Noussair] Mazraoui for Bayern, [Achraf] Hakimi for Paris St-Germain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have players in the top clubs and we have a team that can win games at the World Cup and that\u2019s what I tried to get through to my players. We need to be confident and we need to go out there and give everything and have no regrets \u2013 and they believed me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t go to the World Cup to play only three games. The message passed to my team, my country and now the continent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Regragui says he was overcome by emotion after the victory over Portugal as the weight of the country\u2019s achievement hit him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s the first time that I\u2019ve cried at a match,\u201d said the former defender, who won 45 caps for Morocco.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to control my emotions because I need to show an example to my players and show that I\u2019m mentally strong.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the coach after all, but sometimes it is just too much for you when you get to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Sometimes the emotions just pour out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be lying if I said that I really thought what we were going to get to the semi-final. I just couldn\u2019t take control of the tears.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Rob Stevens.<\/em><\/p>\n