Moroccan Handball Players Vanish in Europe: Youth Unemployment Fuels Sports Exodus

Undoubtedly in search of a better future, five players from the under-19 team left the training camp in Poland without giving any news. Before them, two other members of the U21 team were missing during a stopover in Bologna, Italy. The Moroccan authorities have ordered an investigation into these disappearances of Moroccan handball players, which they consider a "sports and diplomatic scandal," recalls El Pais. The National Anti-Corruption Authority in Sport has called on the Minister of Education and Sports, Mohamed Saad Bedarra, to identify the responsibilities in this affair that "tarnishes the image of Morocco abroad."

The Authority suspects a man in his thirties with links to illegal immigration networks of having infiltrated the Moroccan delegation to the Handball World Cup. According to the cross-checks, the two U21 players, whose visas had expired, contacted their families before disappearing, which suggests that the act was planned. The competent Moroccan authorities have announced that the control of players during competitions abroad will be strengthened in order to avoid the occurrence of new disappearances. The Polish and Italian governments are trying to locate the missing Moroccan handball players in their respective countries. Without success so far.

This is not the first time that players from the Moroccan national team have disappeared during a competition abroad. In 2023, Moroccan athletes had disappeared during a tournament in Croatia, without an official investigation being opened, according to the Anti-Corruption Authority. In 2022, three disabled football players had also disappeared in Poland. That same year, eight Moroccan minors fled the training camp of their team during a school championship in Slovakia.

According to the 2024 Arab Barometer, more than 55% of Moroccans under the age of 30 wish to emigrate. More than half of them say they are ready to emigrate illegally. The reason? The growing unemployment rate. The study reveals that one in five university graduates does not find a job in Morocco. "Investments are needed for the professional qualification of young Moroccans aged 15 to 30 years old. Current initiatives are not yielding sufficient results. One and a half million young people, or one in four between 15 and 24 years old, are not studying and not working, according to a recent report from the Economic, Social and Environmental Council," explains a demography expert from the University of Louvain (Belgium).