Morocco Bans Soccer Match Broadcasts in Cafes to Curb COVID-19 Spread

The decision is not to the liking of cafe owners and managers who were counting on the broadcast of matches to attract people in order to recover from the considerable losses they may have accumulated during the four months of closure. Despite the resumption, the horizon still appears gloomy with charges waiting and the "constraint" of respecting a capacity not exceeding 50%.

That’s why the national coordinator of the National Association of Cafe and Restaurant Owners in Morocco, Ahmed Boufkarn, argues that it is only a matter of fines by the Caids. "In my opinion, they should have stopped the Botola this year. Because the Botola, its charm, is the cafe. If the cafes are open and there are no matches, what’s the point? It’s illogical. Instead of focusing on the cafes, the authorities would do better to go see the corniche and the gatherings there," he said indignantly in a statement to Hespress.

The trade unionist thinks that if some cafe owners do not respect the preventive measures, the authorities should not penalize everyone. He also called on citizens to be aware of the scale of the epidemiological situation in Morocco, also taking responsibility. "Sometimes, customers come to the cafe without a mask. Inside I understand, because he needs to eat or drink his coffee. But when he goes to the toilet or moves from his table, he has to put it on. And these are gestures that some Moroccans have not yet assimilated or gotten into the habit of doing," he explained. Ahmed Boufkarn keeps his fingers crossed that the situation will improve so that everything will be as before, specifies the same source.