Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe has revealed that Africa’s vibrant objective is to be successful on the world stage in the near future.
His comment is on the back of Morocco’s success at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the Atlas Lions etched their names in the history books as the only African country to reach the semi-finals of the Mundial.
Speaking at the 2022 CAF Outstanding Achievement Award held in Kenya, Motsepe believes Morocco’s recent success on the global stage is a huge testament to Africa’s hunger to be competitive at major tournaments.
“Morocco at the 2022 World Cup made history, the national team of Morocco was not just playing for the people of Morocco, but entire Africa.”
“Their historic performance and success is an encouragement, is a motivation for everyone on the African continent.”
“Africa has got a proud history of producing some of the best players we have seen at the highest level in football, in Europe and elsewhere.”
“One of our main objective is to make sure that in the near future, a nation from Africa will be victorious at the highest level in the world and be champions of the FIFA World Cup.”
The North Africans have qualified for the final stages of the FIFA World Cup on six occasions; in 1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018, and 2022.
Morocco is set to join Spain and Portugal in a bid to host the FIFA 2030 Men’s World Cup, apparently replacing Ukraine in a three-way alliance with the two European nations.
Ukraine said it would team up with Spain and Portugal in a joint bid last October, but Morocco’s announcement suggests it will no longer be part of the process.