Impact of Counterfeit Football Jerseys on the Investment of Major International Brands in Moroccan Football 11031

Nahmani Amine, 10 mon.

- Sports -

1.4 min read.

The counterfeiting of football jerseys is a widespread issue in Morocco, affecting both local clubs and major international teams. This practice directly impacts the perception and involvement of leading global sports brands (Nike, Adidas, Puma, etc.) in the development of Moroccan football. Top brands are refusing to sponsor our national clubs! To wear a big brand, our top clubs such as Wydad Of Casablanca (WAC) or Raja Club Athletic (RCA) must purchase all the equipment with a discounted rate. Here is the list of brands that will equip Moroccan clubs for the upcoming 2025–2026 season: • WAC will be equipped by KAPPA • RCA will keep UMBRO with a local production license • Ittihad Touarga will be equipped by MACRON • ASFAR and FUS will be with UHLSPORT (local production license) • Other clubs will be equipped by national brands with limited capabilities in terms of equipment, technology, and accessories (e.g., Bang) Current State of Counterfeiting in Morocco • Widespread presence in informal markets: souks, small shops, and online sales via social media • Very low prices: Counterfeit jerseys sell for 50 to 150 MAD, compared to 700 to 1000 MAD for an official jersey • Weak enforcement: Lack of effective intellectual property law enforcement and high social tolerance for fake products Consequences for Global Brands • Loss of direct revenue • Obstacle to marketing investments • Damaged brand image • Legal risks: Being associated with an “uncontrolled” market discourages brands from strengthening their presence Impact on the Development of Moroccan Football • Fewer official partnerships: Local clubs struggle to secure solid contracts with global brands • Lower-quality gear: Without sponsorship, clubs rely on substandard equipment or secondary suppliers • Reduced secondary revenue: In other countries, official jersey sales are a major income source • Data deficiency: No club is currently able to provide accurate sales figures of jerseys per season • Limited control: Even clubs like Wydad, Raja, or ASFAR can’t enforce exclusive official jersey sales in formal retail channels Recommandations National Actions 1. Strengthen legislation and customs controls: - Establish special anti-counterfeiting units at customs - Enforce stricter penalties for illegal distribution of counterfeit products 2. Raise public awareness: - National campaigns highlighting the economic and ethical issues of counterfeiting - Promote the value of buying original products 3. Encourage collaboration: - Active partnership between FRMF, clubs, and brands to elevate the status of official products -Implement traceability systems (QR codes, NFC tags) for authentic jerseys Global Actions Against Counterfeiting 1. International cooperation between sports federations, brands, and governments to track and dismantle global counterfeiting networks. 2. Leverage technology: - Use blockchain for transparent product tracking - Develop AI-based tools to detect fake products online 3. E-commerce regulation: - Enforce stricter controls on social media platforms and marketplaces to ban counterfeit product listings 4. Support local production : - Offer incentives for certified local manufacturers to produce official gear under license, ensuring both quality and accessibility

Football: When Passion Kills the Game in Impunity and Tolerance.. 519

Aziz Daouda, 2 d.

- Society - Sports -

2.7 min read.

Football (Soccer for Americans) is first and foremost a matter of emotions. By its very essence, it is an open-air theater where human passions play out in their rawest, most primal form. It generates joy, anger, pride, humiliation, and a sense of belonging. From the stands of Camp Nou to those of the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, through the fervor of the Mohamed V sport Complex in Casablanca, the vibrant enclosures of Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar, or even the Parc des Princes in Paris, the Vélodrome In Marseille, and the Bernabeu In Madrid, football transcends the mere framework of the game to become a total social phenomenon. But this emotional intensity, which makes football's beauty, also constitutes its danger. For without rigorous regulation, it quickly tips into excess, then into violence. Today, it must be acknowledged that the rules exist, but they are too often circumvented, stripped of their substance, or applied with disconcerting leniency. On the pitches as in the stands, excesses are multiplying: insults toward referees, provocations between players, systematic challenges, physical violence, projectile throwing, pitch invasions, xenophobic remarks, racist offenses. What was once the exception is tending to become a tolerated norm. Astonishingly, we are starting to get used to it. Recent examples are telling. In Spain, in stadiums renowned for their football culture, racist chants continue to be belted out without shame, targeting players like Vinícius Júnior. Most recently, it was the Muslim community that was insulted. And yet, Spain's current football prodigy is Muslim. An overheated crowd that has doubtless forgotten it wasn't so long ago that it was Muslim itself. Among those chanting these remarks, and without a doubt, some still carry the genes of that recent past... In Dakar, just a few days ago, clashes escalated, turning a sports celebration into a scene of chaos. In Italy, incidents involving supporters who invaded the pitch, during a friendly match, no less, endangered players and officials, recalling the dark hours of European hooliganism in the 1980s. These episodes are not isolated; they reflect a worrying normalization of violence in and around stadiums. Even at the highest level of African football, behavioral excesses are becoming problematic. The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final left a bitter taste. What should have been a moment of celebration for continental football was marred by behaviors contrary to sporting ethics. Pressures on refereeing, excessive challenges, and game interruptions have become commonplace. When a coach manipulates a match's rhythm to influence a refereeing decision, it is no longer strategy but a challenge to the very foundations of the sport. Despite international outrage, the sanctions imposed on teams, clubs, or players involved remain often symbolic, insufficient to eradicate these behaviors. A very surprising phenomenon: rarely have clubs or federations clearly distanced themselves from such crowds. They accommodate them, and when they condemn them, it is half-heartedly, in a muffled, timid tone with no effect. The problem is twofold. On one hand, disciplinary regulations exist but lack firmness. On the other, their application suffers from a lack of consistency and political courage. Bodies like FIFA, continental confederations, and national federations hesitate to impose truly dissuasive sanctions such as point deductions, prolonged closed-door matches, competition exclusions, or even administrative relegations. Yet without fear of sanction, the rule loses all effectiveness. It suffices to compare with other sports to measure the gap. In rugby, for example, respect for the referee is a cardinal value. The slightest challenge is immediately sanctioned. In athletics, a false start leads to immediate disqualification, no discussion. Football, meanwhile, still tolerates too many behaviors that should be unacceptable. This permissiveness has a cost. It undermines football's image, discourages some families from attending stadiums, and endangers the safety of the game's actors. More gravely, it paves the way for future tragedies. History has already taught us, through catastrophes like the Heysel Stadium disaster, that violence in stadiums can have tragic consequences. It is therefore urgent to react. Regulating football does not mean killing its soul, but rather preserving it. It is not about extinguishing passions, but channeling them. This requires strong measures, exemplary sanctions against offending clubs and players, accountability for national federations, increased use of technology to identify troublemakers, and above all, a clear political will from national and international governing bodies. Football cannot continue to be this "market of emotion" left to its own devices. For by tolerating the intolerable, it risks losing what makes its greatness and its ability to unite rather than divide. If FIFA does not decide to act firmly, the danger is real: that of seeing football sink into a spiral where violence triumphs over the game, and where, one day, tragedies exceed the mere framework of sport. The long-awaited decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the 2025 AFCON final case should confirm rigor and integrity in the application of rules, at least at this level, thereby strengthening the credibility of the pan-African competition and football in general.