The success of the Mohammed VI Academy
<p><strong>Morocco have made history at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup. </strong></p><p>And while their defeat to France has left the Moroccans out of contention for the title, they will still have to fight for third place against Croatia on Saturday. There are many reasons for this unprecedented success in African football, but there is one that tends to go unnoticed and has proved key in the development of Moroccan players, namely the Mohammed VI Football Academy.</p><p>Among the various efforts being promoted by the monarch of the Alawi kingdom, the founding of the academy 12 years ago is one of the most important.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong>And his good work can be seen in competitions of the highest prestige, such as the World Cup. </strong></p><p>Some key players such as Sevilla's Youssef En-Nesyri, the French Angers player, Azzedine Ounahi - one of the sensations of the tournament and with big European teams following his lead - or Nayef Aguerd of West Ham in England, are players trained in this academy and who are leading the team of the Lions of the Atlas.</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><img src="https://atalayar.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/marruecos-francia-mundial-qatar.jpeg"></span>The success of Moroccan football at international level is no coincidence. </p><p><strong>Rabat has been working for years to raise the level of its sport and, in particular, of football. </strong></p><p>This work has also been recognised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which attributes much of the success to "the interest of the Moroccan Football League in the senior men's and women's teams". It also praises the work the Kingdom is doing "in the short, medium and long term to prepare for the future", pointing specifically to the Mohammed VI Academy.</p>