Morocco, the star of the Confederation of African Football Awards 2023

Morocco were the big winners at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) 2023 awards gala.

The men's national football team reached the semi-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, a milestone never before achieved by any Arab or African team, and this success was deservedly recognised by the highest representatives of African football at the gala held at the Marrakech Congress Palace. 

Morocco's success at the World Cup in Qatar earned them recognition as the Best African Team of the Year ahead of other teams such as Senegal and Gambia. This recognition was highlighted by Patrice Motsepe, president of the CAF, and Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).

Morocco coach Walid Regragui won the African Men's Team Coach of the Year award for Morocco's outstanding performance at the last World Cup in Qatar.

Regragui thus became the best African coach of a men's team of the year, beating Algeria's Abdelhak Benchikha (Simba SC) and Senegal's coach Aliou Cissé, who also competed for the award and whose work was also recognised by Regragui himself. The Morocco coach stressed that "the achievements of Moroccan football are the fruit of collective work", as reported by the official Moroccan news agency MAP.

After winning the African Men's Coach of the Year award at the CAF 2023 Awards ceremony, Regragui said that all members of the Moroccan national team are working to improve the projection of the national game. Regragui also thanked King Mohammed VI for his commitment to sport in general and football in particular. It is worth mentioning that the Alaouite monarch has encouraged the strong development of sports infrastructures for young Moroccans, with clear examples such as the Mohammed VI Football Academy, inaugurated in 2009 on the outskirts of Rabat, in Salé, to promote the good training of young Moroccan footballers. A facility that has hosted important current football stars such as Youssef En-Nesyri and Azzedine Ounahi. Fouzi Lekjaa himself also highlighted the efforts of the Moroccan monarch to develop the national sport and promote the training of young Moroccans.

Walid Regragui also thanked the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation for his support and made it clear that Morocco represented Africa with honour at the last World Cup in Qatar. 

For his part, Patrice Motsepe, president of the CAF, said during the event that Morocco's performance in the World Cup is "a source of pride" for Moroccans and for all Africans. Speaking at the opening of the CAF 2023 Awards ceremony, Motsepe stressed that the performance of Moroccan players at the Qatar World Cup shows that African countries can achieve significant feats in international tournaments and that African football can compete globally. He even aspired that African countries could become world football champions in the future. In this vein, Fouzi Lekjaa also pointed out that Moroccan football inspires African countries that can dream of winning a World Cup.

Meanwhile, Yassine Bounou was named African Goalkeeper of the Year at the CAF 2023 Awards. The Moroccan international goalkeeper, formerly of Sevilla and currently with Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, competed for the award with Cameroon's Andre Onana (Manchester United) and Egypt's Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly).

Meanwhile, Nesryne El Chad won the Young African Women's Player of the Year award. The Morocco and LOSC Lille player won the African Young Player of the Year award at the CAF 2023 Awards ceremony over Ghana's Comfort Yeboah (Ampem Darkoa) and Nigeria's Deborah Abiodun (Pittsburgh Panthers). Morocco's women's national team also made history by qualifying for the Round of 16 of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, a major milestone for the Atlas Lionesses. 

This was the second time that Morocco hosted the CAF Awards, which recognise the most outstanding players in African football, after the 2022 edition held at the Mohammed VI Football Academy. A new gala in which Morocco was the big winner against the rest of the African countries, including Algeria, which has lost great prominence and presence to its great Moroccan regional rival. It should also be noted that Morocco was designated to host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal. And it can be said that Moroccan football is in fashion.