Lekjaa calls for strategy to bring Botola players back into Morocco squads

Moroccan football federation president Fouzi Lekjaa has called for a national strategy to close the widening gap between domestic-league players and those selected for Morocco’s national teams.

Speaking at a meeting in Rabat with first- and second-division coaches ahead of the new season, Lekjaa said the Botola was no longer producing enough players capable of competing at the highest international level.

He noted that Morocco’s latest World Cup squad included only two reserve goalkeepers from the domestic championship and no locally based midfielders or forwards, contrasting that with earlier periods when the league supplied much of the national team.

Lekjaa said the same pattern appeared across youth categories, including the under-23 Olympic squad and the under-17 team that reached the World Cup quarter-finals, where most key players came from outside the domestic system.

He linked the problem to wider structural weaknesses, including club debt, disputes before FIFA and domestic bodies, and constant pressure on coaches to prioritise immediate results.

With Morocco preparing to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal, Lekjaa said clubs, coaches and football officials needed a clear roadmap for player development.

Federation technical development director Fathi Jamal said the under-18 squad currently training in Spain included 20 locally developed players, but almost none were receiving regular first-team minutes.

He said most came through the Mohammed VI Football Academy and played for Union Touarga, which he described as an important bridge between youth development and elite football.

Jamal said another meeting would be held with club presidents to secure their support for integrating young players into first- and second-division teams.

The federation wants clubs to agree on a common plan ensuring promising players receive competitive minutes rather than remaining outside senior squads.