LONDON: Morocco’s World Cup bid is facing fresh scrutiny this week with the arrival of another delegation from FIFA after an initial task force found deficiencies in the proposals for the 2026 tournament.
In a downbeat conclusion to the visit by the FIFA inspectors last week, Morocco’s bid leader acknowledged it had to improve the quality of the submission made to FIFA in March because inadequacies were identified by football’s governing body.
The previously unplanned second inspection of Morocco is an indication of the more rigorous process introduced by FIFA following criticism in 2010 that World Cups were awarded to the riskiest nations in 2018 (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar).
There will also be closer scrutiny of human rights of the bidders before the vote on June 13 when Morocco is currently due to be taking on a joint challenge from the US, Canada and Mexico.
The Associated Press revealed last week Morocco did not declare its anti-LGBT law to FIFA in the human rights risk assessment included in the bid book. The documents — along with the North American submission — will now be scrutinized for any gaps by human rights experts.
“That process involves an expert third-party assessment of the robustness of the human rights content of both bids that will directly inform the administration’s own evaluation,” Rachel Davis, who sits on FIFA’s human rights advisory board, told the AP.
“We are confident that the process will result in a fair assessment of the human rights situation in all four countries involved in the bids, and a roadmap for how to deal with any deficiencies that FIFA will then require the successful bidder to commit to.”
Davis, who is managing director of the Shift human rights organization, said an evaluation of the human rights in the bidding nations will be included in a report to the FIFA Council, which will also assess the verdict of the evaluation task force. A bid with low scores can be blocked by the council from advancing to a vote of up to 207 football nations at the FIFA Congress on June 13.
While Morocco has said it needs to spend almost $16 billion on infrastructure for the 48-team World Cup, including building or renovating all 14 stadiums, North American does not require any tournament-specific building work. Morocco bid president Moulay Hafid Elalamy said at the end of the FIFA inspection that officials “made some remarks on the conditions of some of the stadiums.”
The new batch of technical staff being deployed from FIFA HQ to Morocco did not make a similar follow-up visit to North America after the task force inspected the rival bid’s facilities this month.
“Following the visit of the 2026 bid evaluation task force to Morocco last week, it was decided to have an additional working visit this week to complement the initial analysis of the task force and clarify some aspects of the bid,” FIFA told AP.
Morocco 2026 World Cup bid in spotlight once again
Morocco 2026 World Cup bid in spotlight once again
- FIFA delegation set to arrive in Morocco this week after initial task force found problems with the bid
- Morocco up against a joint bid by US, Canada and Mexico
Wawrinka rolls back the years to beat Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan in front of Federer
- 3-time Slam winner upped his level when required to serve his way past Hassan at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
- Top-ranked Arab player on the ATP Tour, Moez Echargui of Tunisia, was also in action on day 1, slipping to the narrowest of defeats to Mpetshi Perricard
DUBAI: Forty-year-old Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam winner who is competing in his final Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week, rolled back the years on Centre Court to overcome Lebanese wildcard Benjamin Hassan in straight sets and become the oldest player to win a match in the Dubai tournament’s 34-year history.
Wawrinka’s record was previously held by his Swiss compatriot, the legendary Roger Federer, so it was fitting then that the 20-time Grand Slam winner was inside the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium to cheer on his fellow Olympic gold medalist.
“I’m not sure it’s the best record of his to have,” Wawrinka joked in his on-court interview as fans switched from cheering his every move to applauding an on-screen image of Federer, who won the title here eight times, including his last at the ripe old age of 37 in 2019. “(The appreciation of the fans) is one of the reasons why I have kept playing for so long — to enjoy these matches and these tournaments. I’m super grateful to all those who came out tonight.”
Wawrinka looked far from a player ready to hang up his racket as he beat Hassan 7-5, 6-3 and without dropping a single service game. That is not to say the German-born Hassan failed to put up a fight, but only that whenever he got close — and he forced three break-points across the two sets — Wawrinka seemed to go up a level. In both games where the Swiss looked like he might see his serve broken, he pulled an ace out of his bag to finish the match with nine aces overall.
“All good things have to come to an end,” Wawrinka said when asked why he is choosing to step away now when he evidently still has so much to offer. “Nobody can play forever and as much as I am passionate and still playing well, I know that it’s the right thing to do.”
Hassan, ranked World No. 289 and making his Dubai debut, revealed he was thankfully not aware of Federer’s presence until after the match, adding: “Stan played really good and was serving unbelievable. I had my chances to come back in the second set but unfortunately missed some returns. It was tough, but I’m happy with my performance. Lots of things to work on, of course, but overall, it was just a privilege to be here, to play my first match, and against Stan — it’s incredible.”
Asked in his post-match news conference whether he had taken the chance to speak with Federer at all, Hassan raised his hand in the air: “I’m never washing this hand again! He came to me and said ‘good match’ and I said ‘thank you’ in German. He looked a little bit surprised to hear that, but, yeah, I will always keep this hand dry now in the shower!”
Another Arab player was in action on day one as Tunisian Moez Echargui also made his Dubai debut, taking on France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. In a match of the finest margins, Echargui — the highest-ranked Arab on tour at 141, yet ranked 83 places below his opponent — forced three tiebreaks before Mpetshi Perricard edged the final set to progress 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4).
Having made his ATP 500 debut last week in Doha, this month is proving eye-opening for the 33-year-old North African as he embraces the experience of playing in such high-profile events. Echargui and his coaches are using the new opportunities afforded to him as a wildcard to improve and learn as much as possible against the world’s best players.
“Going on Centre Court and playing against top players, it is where we want to be, playing in these big tournaments, in front of these big crowds”, said Echargui, whose next stop is Indian Wells next week. “Despite the result, I’m feeling really positive about it. I knew the match would be a hard one, so I just tried to stay focused all of the way through. I’m proud to represent my country and to represent all of the Arab world, especially here in Dubai. It’s such a privilege. It’s been fulfilling — a great experience.”
