Think Forward.

CAN2025: Pourquoi le Maroc devrait remporter son quart devant le Cameroun... 1398

Aziz Daouda, 3 mon.
- Sports -
3 min read.
Le quart de finale de la Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 2025 entre le Maroc et le Cameroun, programmé pour le 9 janvier 2026 au Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah de Rabat, s'annonce comme le choc le plus brûlant des quarts. Une rencontre au gout de la revanche d'une autre CAN, celle de 1988. Mais nous sommes en 2025 et beaucoup d'eau a coulé sous les ponts depuis. Pays hôte invaincu, les Lions de l'Atlas affichent une maîtrise totale avec 7 buts marqués pour seulement 1 encaissé sur penalty en quatre matchs, surpassant les Lions Indomptables et leurs 6 buts pour 3 encaissés. Cette supériorité chiffrée, portée par l'étincelle de Brahim Díaz, l'indomptabilité d'El Kaabi, un milieu récupérateur à toute épreuve, une défense rugueuse et l'avantage du public, positionne le Maroc comme grand favori d'un duel technicotactique intense. Même s'il n'est pas jugé impeccable par certains, le parcours du Maroc l'a été au plan de l'efficacité malgré la perte des deux pièces maitresses que sont Saiss et plus encore, du meneur de jeu Azzedine Ounahi. Les Lions de l'Atlas ont survolé le Groupe A avec 7 points : une victoire 2-0 clinique contre les Comores, un festival offensif 3-0 face à la Zambie et un nul que l'on peut comprendre stratégique 1-1 devant le Mali, prouvant une polyvalence rare. En huitièmes, un 1-0 maîtrisé contre la Tanzanie a confirmé leur solidité, avec zéro but encaissé lors de trois de leurs quatre sorties. Cette défense de fer, menée par un trio Yassine Bounou, Nayef Aguerd et Mazraoui, soulagé par unEl Aynaoui infatigable, n'a cédé qu'une fois sur penalty face au Mali. Au total, une différence de buts de +6 qui évoque la discipline d'une équipe en quête de sacre continental à domicile. Et encore Hakimi ne faisait que revenir lors de la dernière rencontre disputée. Cette fois ci pour les quarts, ils auront en face un Cameroun solide mais vulnérable par ailleurs par la jeunesse de l'équipe et le caractère décousu sur de nombreuses phases de jeu, lors de leurs prestations jusqu'ici. Cependant leur marge de progression est énorme et la métamorphose et montée en gamme, peut justement se produire là en quart de finale. Les Lions Indomptables ont arraché la première place du Groupe F avec également 7 points: un 1-0 précieux contre le Gabon, un 1-1 accroché face à la Côte d'Ivoire et un 2-1 laborieux devant le Mozambique. Les deux buts encaissés en poules ont déjà alerté sur les défaillances défensives du collectif. Leur qualification en quarts avec 2-1 contre l'Afrique du Sud en huitièmes, a révélé du caractère, mais aussi des failles : trois buts concédés en tout, dont un sur erreur individuelle face aux Bafana Bafana. Moins tranchants devant avec seulement 6 buts, ils dépendent d'un réalisme opportuniste, loin de la fluidité marocaine. Le Maroc lui profite d'un Brahim Díaz, maestro en pleine lumière. Il vit sans doute son âge d'or en CAN : 4 buts en 4 matchs, un record historique pour un Marocain en une phase finale de CAN, dont le bijou à la 64e contre la Tanzanie. Il répond clairement à son entraineur de club qui semble ne pas savoir comment profiter de son génie. Premier Lion à claquer un but par match consécutif, le Madrilène excelle dans les espaces réduits, avec Ayoub El Kaabi (3 buts) en lieutenant fidèle et tranchant. Face à une défense camerounaise solide avec André Onana impérial mais hésitant des fois, cette menace individuelle, même de petite taille : 4 tirs cadrés par match en moyenne, pourrait faire basculer un scénario verrouillé, comme lors des huitièmes où ses appels ont déstabilisé les Taïfa Stars. La maîtrise technique globale et la domination du ballon penchent aussi du côté du Maroc qui écrase les statistiques collectives : 2 184 passes réussies, un record absolu, 89% de précision et 71% de possession contre la Tanzanie, un océan de contrôle. Achraf Hakimi, de retour en trombe avec une passe décisive, va surement animer un couloir droit infernal, tandis qu'El Khanouss qui prend à peine ses marques, dicte le tempo au milieu malgré l'absence d'Azzedine Ounahi. A l'inverse, le Cameroun végète à 77% de précision et 43% de possession moyenne, luttant en transitions rapides. Cette asymétrie technique promet un siège prolongé des Lions de l'Atlas sur la surface adverse. Avec un Amrabet en sentinelle pour s'occuper de Anguissa et le tour est joué. D'autres faits et atouts sont également en faveur des Lions de l'Atlas: les facteurs psychologiques et historiques peuvent être décisifs. Hôtes euphoriques, les Marocains surfent sur 23 matchs invaincus et un public en fusion à Rabat, où l'ambiance rappellera la Coupe du Monde 2022. L'historique global sourit au Cameroun avec 6 victoires, 5 nuls, 2 défaites en 13 duels, intouchable en CAN avec 2 victoires et 1 nuls, mais les deux dernières confrontations penchent pour le Maroc : un 1-0 en qualifications de la CAN 2019 et un 4-0 humiliant au CHAN 2020. Il s'agit donc ici d'un bras de fer générationnel sans doute, mais la fraîcheur marocaine avec moins de minutes jouées et l'adaptation parfaite au condition climatique, l'emportent sur l'expérience des Lions Indomptables. Ces éléments conjugués forgent un scénario idéal pour un Maroc conquérant en quête d'une seconde étoile qui se décidera là au sifflet final, au complexe Moulay Abdallah, vendredi aux environs de 22 heures. Si une élimination surprise reste toujours possible dans une compétition aussi serrée que la CAN, le Maroc possède aujourd’hui les signaux statistiques les plus forts pour l’emporter : ✔ Meilleure production offensive globale ✔ Une seule équipe encaissée contre deux pour le Cameroun ✔ Maîtrise collective du ballon et du rythme ✔ Deux buteurs en pleine forme (Díaz et El Kaabi) ✔ L’avantage du terrain et du soutien populaire Ces éléments forment une base objective pour plaider en faveur d’un succès marocain dans ce quart de finale.
Aziz Daouda Aziz Daouda

Aziz Daouda

Directeur Technique et du Développement de la Confédération Africaine d'Athlétisme. Passionné du Maroc, passionné d'Afrique. Concerné par ce qui se passe, formulant mon point de vue quand j'en ai un. Humaniste, j'essaye de l'être, humain je veux l'être. Mon histoire est intimement liée à l'athlétisme marocain et mondial. J'ai eu le privilège de participer à la gloire de mon pays .


9300

33.0

Football: When Passion Kills the Game in Impunity and Tolerance.. 562

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.

April 2026 or the Certain Confirmation of the Moroccan Victory... 753

Aziz Daouda, 4 d.
- World Politics - History -
3 min read.
We are entering a decisive month of April. The international dynamic is shifting even further in Morocco's favor on the Sahara issue. April once again promises to be a pivotal moment in the international handling of the Moroccan Sahara question. This structuring diplomatic ritual corresponds to the presentation of the annual report by the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy to the Security Council. But this year, the context is profoundly different. The lines have shifted, balances have been redrawn, and a new dynamic is taking hold, clearly favorable to Morocco, a logical follow-up to the adoption of Resolution 2797, with strong structuring potential. The adoption of this resolution marks an essential milestone. It goes beyond simply renewing the existing framework. It consolidates a political direction initiated over several years, by enshrining the preeminence of a realistic, pragmatic, and sustainable political solution, centered exclusively on the Moroccan autonomy initiative. This resolution fits into a strategic continuity that progressively marginalizes unrealistic options, those that long relied on outdated or inapplicable references in the current geopolitical context. It also increases pressure on the parties to engage in a credible political process under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations, but in reality under strong American pressure. The United States has directly engaged in favor of the Kingdom, with the return of roundtables in Madrid and then Washington as key pivots. These meetings have confirmed a diplomatic reality that is now hard to contest. The format of the gatherings, including Morocco, Mauritania, the Polisario Front, and Algeria despite itself, is the only relevant framework for progress. It implicitly enshrines Algeria's central role, long eager to present itself as a mere observer. Its active participation, even forced, places it at the heart of the dispute, profoundly altering the reading of the conflict and redistributing political responsibilities. Madrid and Washington are not insignificant venues. They reflect the growing involvement of Western powers in seeking a resolution, with increasing convergence around the Moroccan proposal. One of the expected developments this month concerns the future of MINURSO. The time has come to redefine the mission. From its inception, it has never fulfilled the role for which it was established. A major evolution is likely emerging in support of implementing autonomy in the southern provinces within the framework of the Kingdom's sovereignty. Long confined to monitoring the ceasefire, the mission will see its name change and its mandate evolve to adapt to on-the-ground realities and the demands of a renewed political process. Such a change would be highly significant. It would mark the end of UN inertia and reflect the international community's will to move from managing the status quo to an active and definitive resolution logic. Much to the dismay of those who, for 50 years, have done everything to perpetuate the conflict through their proxy; the latter is increasingly suffering from the shifting landscape. Washington has toughened its tone and put the Polisario in its sights. Algeria is evidently feeling the effects. The introduction in the US Congress of a proposal to designate the Polisario as a terrorist organization represents a potentially major turning point. If successful, such a designation would have considerable political, financial, and diplomatic consequences. It would further isolate the movement, weaken its supporters, and reshape the balance of power. Above all, it would reinforce the security reading of the dossier, in a Sahel-Saharan context marked by rising transnational threats. This adds to a Security Council increasingly aligned with the Moroccan position. The Council's current composition clearly leans in favor of Moroccan positions. Several influential members explicitly or implicitly support the autonomy initiative, seen as the most serious and credible basis for settlement. This shift is no accident. It results from active, coherent, and consistent Moroccan diplomacy, which has successfully embedded the Sahara issue within logics of regional stability, counter-terrorism, and economic development. Algeria, for its part, faces its contradictions. In this context, the Algerian regime appears increasingly beleaguered. Its positioning, long structured around ideological rhetoric and systematic opposition to Morocco, now seems out of step with international system evolutions. Algiers' relative diplomatic isolation, including in its Sahelian environment, contrasts with its regional ambitions. Internally, economic and social challenges exacerbate tensions in a country with considerable resources but unevenly distributed benefits. Algerian populations suffer from much injustice and lack the essentials. The Sahara issue, instrumentalized for decades as a lever for foreign policy and internal cohesion, thus reveals the limits of a politically exhausted model. The trend thus confirms a historic turning point depriving the Algerian regime of its artificial political rent. All elements converge toward one conclusion: April 2026 could mark a decisive step in the evolution of the Moroccan Sahara dossier. Without prejudging an immediate outcome, current dynamics are progressively narrowing the space for blocking positions. More than ever, resolving this conflict seems to hinge on recognizing geopolitical realities and adhering to a pragmatic political solution. In this perspective, Morocco appears in a position of strength, bolstered by growing legitimacy and increasingly assertive international support. The question remains whether other actors, particularly Algeria, will adapt to this new reality or choose to oppose it at the risk of greater isolation in a world where balances of power evolve rapidly. There will undoubtedly be a before and after April 2026, and above all, the consolidation of a Moroccan position oriented toward further development of the southern provinces. The Security Council's output is awaited in this direction.

Eternal Morocco, Unbreakable Morocco: The Identity That Triumphs Over Exile... 996

Aziz Daouda, 5 d.
- Politics - History - Society -
2.1 min read.
There are affiliations that geography dissolves over time, and others that it strengthens as distance sets in. The Moroccan experience undoubtedly falls into the second category. Across generations, sometimes up to the third or fourth, a phenomenon intrigues. Women and men born far from Morocco continue to recognize themselves in it, to feel attached to it, to project themselves into it. They have left the country or never lived there long-term; they were born far away, but Morocco has never left them. How to explain such persistence? Why does this loyalty cut across social classes, faiths, degrees of religiosity, and even nationalities acquired elsewhere? How is a memory so indelible? How does it withstand the test of time, distance, and new cultural acquisitions, if not through the profound weight of national consciousness? Morocco is not merely a modern state born from 20th-century recompositions. It is an ancient historical construct, shaped by centuries, even millennia, of political and civilizational continuity. Dynasties like the Almoravids, Almohads, Merinids, Saadians, or Alaouites forged a stable political and symbolic space whose permanence transcends apparent ruptures. This historical depth irrigates the collective imagination. It gives Moroccans, including those in the diaspora, the sense of belonging to a history that precedes and surpasses them. Being Moroccan is not just a nationality. It is an inscription in a continuity, a composite identity forged by inclusion. Moroccan identity has been built through sedimentation. It is Amazigh, African, Arab, Andalusian, Hebraic. These are layers that coexist in a singular balance, complementing and interweaving without exclusion. This ancient plurality explains Moroccans' ability to embrace diversity without identity rupture. Thus, a Jewish Moroccan in Europe or a naturalized Muslim elsewhere often shares a common affective reference to Morocco, not out of ignorance of differences, but because they fit into a shared historical and geographical framework. This inclusive identity enables a rarity: remaining deeply Moroccan without renouncing other affiliations, with the monarchy serving as a symbolic thread. In this complex architecture, the monarchy plays a structuring role. Under Mohammed VI, it embodies historical continuity and contemporary stability. For Moroccans abroad, the link to the Throne goes beyond politics. It touches the symbolic and the affective, a dimension fully grasped only by Moroccans. It acts as a fixed point in a shifting world, offering permanence amid changes in language, environment, or citizenship. This transmission occurs invisibly in the family, in rituals. It is not a memory but living, sensitive memories. The diffusion and transfer also manifest in cuisines with ancestral recipes, in music and sounds, in living rooms echoing with Darija, through summers "back home," gestures, intonations, moussems, or hiloulas. Moroccan identity is transmitted less through discourse than through sensory experiences: tastes, smells, rhythms, hospitality. Thus, generations born abroad feel a belonging not formally learned, an active loyalty blending affection and claimed will. The diaspora does not settle for abstract attachment. It acts. Financial transfers, investments, public commitments, and defense of Moroccan positions internationally bear witness. This operational patriotism extends affection into action, a duty to the nation, a Moroccan loyalty. Moroccans may be exiles, but never uprooted. For the Moroccan diaspora, attachment transcends oceans. Even in political, economic, or academic roles abroad, Moroccains carry their country of origin explicitly or implicitly. The otherness of host societies reinforces this identity. The external gaze consolidates this sense of belonging to a culture so distinctive that it crystallizes, is claimed, and magnified. This phenomenon, intense among Moroccans, compels us to name what went without saying in the homeland: a continuity at a distance. Neither frozen nostalgia nor mere inheritance, this relationship is a profound dynamic. Morocco is not just a place; it is the bond that spans generations, adapts without diluting, reminding us that exile does not undo all affiliations. Morocco is in our daily lives, in a perennial, solid, and unyielding memory that defies borders and time.