The Moroccan team have garnered a lot of accolades for their performance over the last few weeks.
Super Eagles icon, Super Eagles legend Sunday Oliseh reflected on his expectations for Morocco on his social media page.
The former Ajax player claims that the lack of adequate facilities, funding, strong organizations, and intense World Cup preparations prevent African countries from competing well at the international level.
The fact that only Morocco is still competing in the competition out of the five nations who qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is no longer news.
Numerous records have been broken by the North African nation, including the fourth African team to make it to the quarter-finals and the first African team to make it to the Semifinals.
Recall how Senegal, the current African champions, outperformed Ecuador in the group stage and defeated the hosts, Qatar, to a degree. Although in Group A, the Teranga Lions fell short of The Netherlands.
Aliou Cisse said that his team's strength was far inferior to that of The Three Lions after the round-16 loss to England.
“We were playing a very good England team and we saw that in their challenges, their physical strength. We weren't as good as we should have been.” Said Cisse.
Much is anticipated when an African squad plays an English team. The adequate preparations, finances, and sponsors they have received cannot be matched to those of the European teams.
However, only a small number of African players get the opportunity to compete in their leagues, and those few players are regarded as exceptional athletes.
Speaking about the Atlas Lion in 2018, Oliseh claimed that he didn't think the European squad was any better than the African team since they lacked the necessary resources.
While a 2018 video he posted on his social media website, he remarked in speaking
“I don't agree at all that they are better than the African teams”
“If the Moroccan team had the same facilities, the Japanese have to prepare for the World Cup. Morocco will get to the semi finals.
“If they have the same financial investments that we put into this team. Morocco will get to the semi finals,
“if they have the same quality of organization, preparations years before the World Cup that they have and the sponsorships that they have, they will get to the semi finals.”
The Legend emphasized that although African teams are talented and athletic, their advancement on international arenas are being hampered by a lack of resources.
The former Juventus star went on to say:
“Those are the things that are keeping the African teams down. Because when you're talking of individual talents, the physic, athleticism, African teams have it”
Following this tournament, Morocco may have shown to the rest of the world that African teams are capable of giving excellent performances on international arenas, supporting Oliseh's claim.
However, several African Football Associations are eager to focus more investment on their national teams, so they may outperform Morocco at the 2022 World Cup.
But if this hasn't even been considered, it is now suggested that all football organizations provide the required funds to their teams in order to determine how well they do on the international stage.
