Morocco wants to take control of Spanish football

From Madrid, Rabie Takassa orchestrates the recruitment of dual-national talents for the Moroccan federation. The driving force behind the arrivals of Brahim Díaz and Achraf Hakimi, he is multiplying contacts to convince players born in Spain to "return home" and join the Atlas Lions’ project, writes El Mundo.

The new priority is named Thiago Pitarch, a young promise of Real Madrid whose grandfather is from Al Hoceïma. While Spain is counting on him for the youth categories, Morocco hopes to steal a march on La Roja by offering him accelerated integration into the senior team. Xavi Hernández and Thiago Pitarch: Morocco’s new priorities

Beyond the pitch, Morocco is now targeting the Spanish technical elite. After trying to attract Andrés Iniesta as sporting director, the Moroccan leaders are turning to Xavi Hernández. The former Barça coach, currently without a club, would be the preferred target to take over the national team after the next World Cup.

This ambition is driven at the highest level by King Mohammed VI and the president of the federation, Fouzi Lekjaa. The overall project includes the construction in Casablanca of the largest stadium in the world, with a capacity of 115,000, with the stated objective of snatching the 2030 World Cup final from Spain.

Rabat’s influence within FIFA has considerably strengthened in recent years. According to El Mundo, the close ties between the Moroccan sovereign and Gianni Infantino allow the Kingdom to carry significant weight on the international chessboard and to rival Spain’s diplomatic relations with football authorities.

With the already enacted integration of Jorge Vilda at the head of the women’s national team, Morocco continues to expand its network at all levels of the king of sports. This systematic strategy, combining the recruitment of stars and top-level technicians, aims to transform the country into a dominant power in the round ball.