Moroccan Parliament Uncovers Corruption in Local Stadium Projects

The presentation of this damning report, prepared by the USFP deputy, Ibtissam Maras, was made in the presence of the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaâ, and the supervising minister, Hassan Abyaba. As for the president of the Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation (FRMA), he did not show up to explain the case of a stadium, equipped with an athletics track, and which was the subject of an investigation, reports the daily Assabah.

The commission that produced the report inspected several stadiums equipped with artificial turf, for an amount of 500 MDH, as part of a general program financed to the tune of 1500 MDH. To these stadiums, an athletics stadium is added, for which no document attesting to the expenses incurred has been communicated to the said commission.

During the inspection, the commission found that some stadiums have been equipped twice with artificial turf and were to be delivered in 2016, while two other stadiums, including the one in Tahrir, Tangier, have never seen the light of day. As for the Sidi Ifini stadium, its work was stopped due to the floods that hit the city.

Furthermore, the commission noted the existence of a gap between the estimated cost at the beginning of the work and the final budget of the Essaouira municipal stadium.