Morocco, Egypt’s bête noire, anger of Egyptians

The latest setback dates back to last Thursday. During the North African Football Championship (North African Football Union) organized on their soil, the Egyptian under-20s lost 2-1 to their Moroccan counterparts. This defeat comes just 48 hours after a rout of the under-17s, swept away 5-1 by Morocco.

This succession of poor performances has not gone unnoticed in the Egyptian media landscape. Experts point to a worrying trend that began during the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations, where Morocco won the title at the expense of Egypt in the final. The situation has further deteriorated during the Olympic Games in Paris, with a historic 6-0 correction inflicted by the Atlas Lions.

Egyptian observers, who are now closely monitoring the development of Moroccan football, acknowledge that "Morocco is reaping the fruits of the policy adopted for years". Some even wonder: "Will the Moroccan team become a complex for Egyptian football as the Senegalese team was?"

Moroccan dominance also extends to other disciplines such as futsal and beach soccer. Only the Egyptian A national team maintains its historical supremacy over its Maghreb rival, with several significant victories, particularly in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Local media are strongly criticizing the sports policy of their federation, believing that it has failed in the face of the strategy put in place by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF). The modernization of Moroccan football seems to be bearing fruit, while Egypt is struggling to renew its past performances.