Ministry of Interior plans new policies to counter violence, vandalism in football stadiums

Moroccan authorities are deploying a new system to counter football stadium violence, according to the Ministry of Interior.

In an answer to a written question to the House of Representatives, Moroccan Minister of Interior Abdelouafi Laftit announced that “competent authorities on file have begun to implement a new vision aimed at combating all the abnormal phenomena in sports stadiums.”

The Minister explained that authorities are “strengthening the capabilities to track and organize various sports competitions, to ensure the security and safety of all citizens, whether inside or outside the stadium.”

Laftit added that “the central committee charged with following up on the issue, which includes various concerned sectors, has recently devoted itself to studying a set of proactive measures to prevent the occurrence of such events.”

The official stated that among these measures are the rehabilitation of infrastructure for sports stadiums, the involvement of clubs in the security management of the interviews, the modernization of the ticket system, as well as framing of the movement of fans of the visiting teams between the prefectures and regions during the interviews.

Recently, Moroccan stadium violence has returned with the resumption of fan attendance during football games back in late February.

Since then, acts of violence and vandalism have multiplied during local games, prompting the Moroccan Royal Federation of Football (FRMF) and law enforcement to boost efforts to counter this phenomenon.