The Moroccan selection, made up of Special Olympics players and the International University of Rabat (UIR), will take part in the Unified Football World Cup, which will take place from July 30 to August 6 in Detroit, United States.
The Moroccan delegation that will participate in this competition includes 20 members, divided between 16 players (9 athletes and 8 partners), aged 18 to 21. It will be chaired by Nassime Cherradi, Aziz Bouderbala, national team coach Ilias Bentaleb, his deputy Jaafar Tagmouti and the delegation’s doctor, Nadia Shafiq.
The national team carried out the last training session on Friday at the International University of Rabat, before flying off to the American city of Detroit on Saturday.
National Director of Special Olympics, Salaheddine Samar affirmed that the Moroccan national team, which has carried out intensive preparation for almost a year, is determined to obtain honorable results, despite a difficult group which includes the United States, Brazil, South Korea and Nigeria.
In a statement to M24, the continuous news channel of MAP, he stressed that the national elements, who are aware of the responsibility entrusted to them, are determined to represent Morocco in the best way and to obtain positive results, noting that the players are fully prepared for this sporting event mentally, physically and technically.
The national coach, Ilias Bentaleb, for his part, indicated that the preparations of the national team took place in good conditions, with the aim of ensuring an honorable participation in this great sporting event, adding that the strength of the Moroccan group lies in the homogeneity between the players.
Despite the strength of the teams competing in the Morocco group, the players are determined to ensure a leading role and achieve their goals, he noted, adding that winning the first game against South Korea will open the door. path to access the next phase of the competition.
This international participation is part of the implementation of the partnership agreement signed between Special Olympics Morocco and the UIR. 22 men’s and women’s teams from 21 countries will take part in this event, including four from the MENA region, namely Morocco and Saudi Arabia for men, and Egypt and the United Arab Emirates for women.
This championship will also see the participation of 300 players and 1,000 volunteers. On the sidelines of this competition, seven events will be organized, including health days for players, from August 3 to 6.
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