Dual-Nationals Fuel Moroccan Soccer Renaissance: Botola Pro Attracts European Talent

More and more dual-national players are choosing to pursue their careers in Botola Pro, the Moroccan football championship. Most of them come from France, Spain and the Netherlands. A return to their roots that is currently a trend.
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Like Jamel Aït Ben Idir, former player of Le Havre (2008-2009) and Arles-Avignon (2010-2011) in the French Ligue 1, who had joined Wydad, then FUS de Rabat, several dual-nationals are returning to their roots. "I had kind of gone full circle in France and I wanted to discover another playing culture in a big club and have a continental experience. But I also wanted to come back to the country. It was a challenge that helped me a lot on a personal level," the former midfielder told Le360. A profitable choice, especially since he won the national championship and the African Champions League with Wydad in 2016-2017. But before that, the former player had to adapt to the Botola style of play. "I arrived in a team that had already won titles, so there was a certain pressure. Moreover, here, football is more individual, more focused on the player himself. In France, I was working with the idea of the collective. I had to adapt."

Born in Brignoles, France, to a Guinean father and a Moroccan mother, Yasser Baldé decided to join Raja Casablanca after a long stint at Stade Lavallois in French Ligue 2. "I wanted to see something else, and when the opportunity arose to come and play in Botola, in a country that is dear to me and moreover at Raja, I didn’t hesitate for a single second [...] ," said the Guinean international, who admits that the choice to play in Botola is not easy for dual-nationals. "It’s very difficult to compete with Europe, especially with the Champions League and the other major leagues. Proof of this, many local players end up playing there, but that doesn’t mean that dual-national players don’t want to contribute to the development of the league and the country. It’s difficult, but not impossible," supports the Botola central defender, who believes that the league is "homogeneous, but what makes it complicated is mainly the demands of the supporters. Everyone can beat everyone. There are no easy games here."

The influx of dual-national players in Botola "is part of the societal dynamic of the return of some Moroccans residing abroad (MRE), like a fashion phenomenon that pushes to participate in the great economic and social boom that our country is experiencing, initiated by the King," explains Jamal Waalam, a Franco-Moroccan sports journalist. According to him, the arrival of dual-nationals has allowed Moroccan clubs to "progress in terms of infrastructure, or communication. They can seduce players who may not have an international career, but also those who are looking to win continental titles," he says, assuring that the Moroccan championship remains a reference on the African continent, even if it cannot be compared to the European championships. "There is a gap with Europe, that’s for sure, but the advantage of Botola is that in Africa, it is one of the best leagues. Here, a player can compete for the continental title, and therefore possibly the Club World Cup," Waalam nuances.