Virtual Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco Competes in E-Sports Tournament During Lockdown

"Othman, go up, go up! Guys, no, how their striker passes, you’re two on him... You have to defend well in this game. One more goal and we’re qualified!" Wearing a Moroccan jersey, Mbark is betting on his country’s victory against Côte d’Ivoire. With a teammate’s lost ball, a laser pass from the Ivory Coast’s number 10... And the kingdom concedes a goal. Mbark loses his illusions.

This match is played far from a football pitch. This takes place on a console due to the confinement imposed to curb the spread of covid-19 in France. Headphones on his ears and Playstation controller in hand, Mbark, 20, is playing the "Coupe d’Aulnay des nations" on Fifa 20 in his living room in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), reports Le Parisien.

Jeff, Ripus and a third young man nicknamed "Micro 3 KS" are the initiators of this CAN 2.0 in which Cape Verde, Haiti, Algeria, Mauritania, Libya, the Comoros, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Cameroon, Madagascar, Congo, France, Senegal, Turkey, Tunisia, and Mali participate.

"We have crossed the borders of Africa, Ripus laughs. The goal is to have fun; we didn’t want to refuse players. We even almost had Germans: six players contacted us after seeing the announcement on the networks. But since they are from Chartres (Eure-et-Loir), we couldn’t accept them!" Started on April 29, the competition will end on May 11.