Infrastructures, organisation, ambiance: le Maroc réussit-il le pari de la « CAN du siècle » ?
Morocco launched its AFCON campaign at home with a promise: to make it the "AFCON of the century". Between the infrastructure, the organization, access to the stadiums and the atmosphere, is the kingdom truly succeeding in its gamble?
Is Morocco ready for the FIFA World Cup? The question is a few years ahead of its time. Yet, this 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the 35th edition of the continental competition, has been widely presented as a full-scale test before 2030. The Kingdom of Morocco will welcome hundreds of thousands of spectators, including 115,000 in the Hassan II Stadium alone, which is still under construction. But how can they ensure that such a venue will be filled smoothly? Or even filled at all?
From a ticketing perspective, the World Cup should pose fewer problems than the Africa Cup of Nations. Generally, the tournament attracts a larger audience from all over the world – even if the 2022 edition in Qatar saw sparsely populated stands. And for this audience, traveling from one country to another is potentially easier, in terms of logistics or financial means, than for some African fans. However, a spectator is a spectator, regardless of their origin. And some of them have experienced setbacks since the start of this Africa Cup of Nations.
"Our loved ones who have difficulty getting back to the stadium"
Starting with the families of the national team coaches. "What saddens me a little today is that our loved ones are having difficulty getting into the stadium," Emerse Faé warned. "My wife and daughters got back at halftime of the match against Cameroon, even though they left two and a half hours before kickoff. When I arrive at the stadium before the start of the game, I like to see my wife and daughters in the stands. This time, I didn't see them, and that worried me a bit."
Former Ivory Coast international goalkeeper Barry Copa, hero of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, also experienced some difficulty entering the Marrakech stadium that same day. A video circulating on social media showed him getting stuck in the crowd at the entrance. When contacted, he said he didn't have any bad memories of the evening, because "overall, the organization was good."
For many fans, the experience was more frustrating. After buying their tickets, they found themselves stuck outside the stadium gates because security was unable to handle a larger-than-expected influx of spectators. This was due to numerous people who tried their luck without tickets at the stadium gates, emboldened by images of thousands of Moroccans filling the stands of the Agadir stadium for free during Egypt's matches. This system quickly revealed its limitations, even its dangers, during the Egypt-South Africa match, but it clearly gave some people ideas.
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An overall experience that remains good
“It was chaos,” recalls Kevin, an Ivorian living in Morocco, whom we met in Marrakech. “There were a lot of people with and without tickets, so they closed the gates. I saw people without tickets climbing over the gates and managing to get in.”
But make no mistake, while managing the flow of fans isn't always perfect, overall, many praise Morocco's infrastructure. From brand-new stadiums and well-maintained pitches to the quality of the roads, many observers compare what they see in Morocco to the spectacle of European football.
Even the rain management was a success. While some stadiums experienced leaks last November due to heavy rainfall, the problem appears to have been resolved in the meantime. And the pitches were perfectly preserved in each stadium, thanks in part to new absorption technology installed specifically for the occasion. As a result, despite occasional downpours, the players were able to perform without any issues on the pitches. In the stadium access areas, mats and carpets were used to ensure smooth visitor flow, although some falls were observed in certain spots due to surfaces made slippery by the rain.
A somewhat sanitized AFCON?
Moroccans, for their part, are proud. Taxi drivers, Sunday league footballers on a local pitch, and shopkeepers, after welcoming you to the Kingdom of Morocco, will generally ask you how you find the country and its Africa Cup of Nations. But what Morocco has gained in infrastructure and spectacle, has it lost in fervor? Outside the stadiums, the big-name matches, and the open house events, the football fever hasn't quite infected the cities. Apart from the billboards, half of which display the faces of Achraf Hakimi or Brahim Diaz, the neighborhoods, even the working-class ones, don't quite breathe football. Those who experienced previous editions in Cameroon and Ivory Coast emphasize a real difference in passion.
Hugo Broos, the South African coach, is struggling to recapture the feeling of victory he experienced in 2023. "It's not comparable to the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon or Ivory Coast," he admitted. "Over there, we really felt like we were in a tournament. When we took the bus to training, people waved flags and greeted us. Here, there's nothing." The words are a bit harsh, but they sum up the disappointment, as this edition was eagerly anticipated. There's just over two weeks left to secure a resounding victory.
Commentaires (5)
Si l'immense engouement populaire a nécessité des ajustements sécuritaires aux entrées, cela témoigne surtout du succès historique de cette édition. Le Royaume prouve sa maturité pour 2030 en offrant un cadre serein, moderne et professionnel, loin du chaos des éditions passées.
Cette montée en gamme, bien que qualifiée d'aseptisée par certains nostalgiques du desordre et d'amateurisme organisatinel, marque l'entrée du football africain dans l'élite mondiale.
Enfin, les critiques d'Hugo Broos sont à ignorer: le Maroc ne l'apprécie guère et il le sait, d'où ses tentatives de dénigrer l'organisation par pure amertume personnelle.
Concernant les incidents mineurs signalés aux entrées, une mise au point s'impose : la fluidité d'accès repose avant tout sur la responsabilité individuelle et le respect des protocoles. Pour les supporters ordinaires, il suffit de lire et de suivre les instructions claires fournies lors de l'achat des billets en ligne. Quant aux proches des délégations et des VIP, leur accès ne doit pas dépendre d'un simple billet régulier, mais de la diligence de leurs propres fédérations nationales. C'est à ces dernières de garantir que leurs invités sont en règle via l'octroi des laissez-passer officiels en vigueur. De nombreuses familles de stars et célébrités ont d'ailleurs accédé aux enceintes en toute fluidité, prouvant que le système marocain est parfaitement opérationnel pour ceux qui suivent les procédures établies
Ou bien les critiques vienent des gens qui ne veulent pa s'ameliorer et font du surplace.
Les tops affluences (Phase de groupes):
Match Stade Nombre de spectateurs
Maroc vs Zambie Tanger (Ibn Batouta) 62 532
Maroc vs Comores (Ouverture) Rabat 60 180
Cameroun vs Gabon Agadir 35 200
Égypte vs Zimbabwe Casablanca 28 199
Sénégal vs Bénin Marrakech 26 707
Côte d'Ivoire vs Gabon Agadir 20 833
Coté infrastructures chapeau. Les stades les moyens de transports les hotéls sont de classe mondiale.
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