Moroccan blueprint for success
African performances make Jamaican coaches hopeful for smaller football nations
Published:Wednesday | December 14, 2022 | 1:56 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
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WHAT MOROCCO have already achieved at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and what they will attempt to do this afternoon in the quest for more history cannot be understated in the minds of Jamaica College head coach Davion Ferguson and former national...
WHAT MOROCCO have already achieved at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and what they will attempt to do this afternoon in the quest for more history cannot be understated in the minds of Jamaica College head coach Davion Ferguson and former national assistant coach Bradley Stewart.
The Atlas Lions will be carrying the hopes of an entire continent when they face defending world champions France in their semifinal clash at 2:00 p.m. Jamaica time. They are 90 minutes away from becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup final, having already broken the glass ceiling in Qatar, becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach a semifinal.
Ferguson says that Morocco’s achievement cannot be downplayed given the potential of the continent and teams like Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) came close to achieving.
“Africa has long been heralded as being a football continent but in terms of putting down tangible results or tangible success on the table, they have not done that. So what Morocco are doing is that they are carrying the flag of the entire continent. And for us as a people, that is also a lesson that we have to use. No matter where you are and who you are, with the right work and the right sacrifice you can get success. Success can be had,” Ferguson told The Gleaner.
“I’m really proud of Morocco. I think that they have done exceptionally well and even if they do not go to the final, I think it is still a resounding success for them and a very big triumph for Africa and African football.”
Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana could not make the next step after being ousted in the quarterfinals. But what has made Morocco’s campaign special, according to Stewart, has been how qucikly head coach Walid Regragui has commanded the respect of the locker room having been in the job for four months.
“The tradition is that it takes time to understand and implement new systems as you go along. Just to have four or five months and being able to achieve what they have achieved it defies logic. The reality is what you bring to the table each time and he brings a system and a style and a functional role of his players that have proven to be difficult to score against. When they break, they break with speed, they play good combinations,” Stewart observed.
It is that identity that has Stewart believing in Morocoo’s chances in making the final.
But it is Africa’s future that has Ferguson excited with the potential increase in African slots for the 2026 World Cup. Ferguson believes that regardless of what happens today, Morocco have laid a platform for what is possible.
“What Morocco has done is provide inspiration for African nations and smaller nations who are not necessarily football kingpins. That with the right resources, with the right administration, we can gain success. What this will do for Morocco and Africa if it’s utilised in the right way is to lay that foundation for the future and for future successes of other African nations or similar countries,” Ferguson said.