FIFA Report Raises Concerns Over Tangier’s World Cup 2030 Readiness

While the Grand Stade de Tangier comes out with an honorable grade, even surpassing some Spanish stadiums, the hotel offer and public transport have received ratings deemed insufficient. The report assigns a score of 4.0 to the Ibn Battouta stadium, compared to only 2.2 for hotels and 2.6 for transport, writes Al3omk. FIFA is concerned about Tangier’s, as well as Zaragoza and San Sebastián’s, ability to improve their public transport to meet the requirements of a global event like the World Cup.

The lack of hotel rooms is also a concern. Tangier, Fez, San Sebastián and Zaragoza could struggle to accommodate the many supporters expected.

Reactions did not wait. Mohamed Saïd Ahrouch, vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of the Tangier region, contests the FIFA assessment, considering it "not accurate". He highlights the ongoing development projects which, according to him, will improve the situation within the next five years.

For Mr. Ahrouch, the current difficulties are the legacy of "mistakes made by former officials" and a lack of planning. He calls for an update of urban and traffic plans, and a simplification of administrative procedures for development projects.

On the side of civil society, Mohamed Harraq, an associative actor, welcomes the FIFA report, which he considers "fair and objective". For him, the problem comes from a too narrow vision of the authorities, who would have focused on the stadium to the detriment of the city as a whole.

Mr. Harraq denounces the presence of waste and garbage near the stadium, and pleads for a radical transformation of the city. He calls for prioritizing the human and sustainable development, and does not rule out the need to demolish certain facilities to rebuild better.