Morocco 2010 FIFA World Cup Bid Newsletter 03

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NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY

2004

FEEL THE GAME IN THE MAGIC LAND OF MOROCCO !

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P r o f i l e Morocco at the African Nations Cup: the best attack, the best defense and a title of vice-champions of Africa The Atlas Lions have emerged as the runners-up at the 24th edition of the African Cup of Nations held in Tunisia, following an exceptional run.

Yo u s s e f Bencheqroun A graduate of two of the most prestigious engineering schools in France (Polytechnic and Grande École of Civil Engineering [ P o n t s & C h a u s s é e s ] ) , Yo u s s e f Bencheqroun pursued an outstanding sixyears career in investment banking before becoming the manager of MIFA Telecom, one of Morocco's leading telecom operators.

A staunch supporter of Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) of Casablanca, Youssef is also a lifelong football fan who eagerly follows football news from all over the world.

Youssef's engineering background, sound knowledge of football and managerial skills quite naturally predisposed him to become one of the first managers to join Morocco 2010 team, where he heads up the “Infrastructures, Safety and Services” department.

Within the Bid Committee, Youssef is primarily in charge of the development of operational concepts for the organization of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM and the review of infrastructure projects.

When asked about the priorities underlying his actions, he replies: “What's really important is to set up a system of organization which allows each category of participants in the Football World Cup (officials, media, teams and supporters) to attend this event serenely and peacefully and to take full advantage of the delights of the soccer ball. The World Cup is before anything else a celebration football and our priority is first and foremost to organize a football festival that will stay in everyone's mind for ever.”

After the remarkable achievement of leading the “group of death” (made up of Benin, Nigeria and South Africa), Morocco defeated a tough Algeria side in extra time by a score of 3-1 during the quarter final, and then upended Mali, 4-0,during the semifinal, before losing the final match to the organizing country Tunisia.

With 14 goals scored and only 3 goals in its nets, Morocco was unquestionably the best offensive and defensive team in the tournament.

Moroccan International player Mokhtari was acclaimed as the leading goal scorer of the entire tournament, with 4 goals scored.

The best offense, the best defense, the team with the leading goal scorer and the title of runner-up of the African Cup of Nations: the participation of the Lions of the Atlas at the 24th African Cup of Nations will be emblazoned in the history of the Moroccan football.

Returning to Morocco, the Lions of the Atlas were triumphantly acknowledged in several Moroccan

cities, from the city of Agadir in the South of the Kingdom to Rabat and Temara, reaching its climax in Casablanca. At each of these stops, hundreds of thousands of supporters gathered along the streets and roads and paid tribute to the nation's heroes.

The celebratory journey of the Atlas Lions started at the Royal Palace of Agadir, where they were received and awarded medals by HM King Mohammed VI. The journey ended on a high note at the Casablanca Mohammed V Complex, with over 70,000 supporters attending a memorable football celebration which went on until late evening.

The great show of joy and pride following the feats achieved by the national squad has also been the occasion for wonderful expressions of support in favor of the Bid of Morocco to host the 2010 FIFA World CupTM. The Moroccans, who are passionate for football to their core, have expressed with unspeakable enthusiasm their willingness to be the home of this wonderful celebration of football in which the whole world will be able to rejoice.

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Morocco is the ideal climate for the Football World Cup

M. Issa Hayatou extends his thanks to Morocco Mr. Issa Hayatou, reelected for his fifth 4-year mandate as the chairman of the AFC during the General Meeting of the African Football Confederation held in Tunis prior to the 24th African Nations Cup, underlined the fact that Morocco has always supported his actions as the chairman of the Confederation.

"I am a very happy person and I would like to thank Morocco for supporting my candidacy," said Mr. Hayatou during a statement made to the Morocco Arab Press (MAP), following his reelection.

Located at the north westernmost tip of Africa, with the Atlantic Ocean to the West, the Mediterranean Sea to the North and the stately Atlas mountain range to the East, Morocco boasts superb weather conditions, thereby offering an ideal climate for the 2010 FIFA World CupTM. In Morocco, the months of June and July offer optimal conditions for the organization of major football matches: dry climate, sunny conditions and moderate weather.

Out of the eight bid cities of Morocco 2010, five are coastal cities whose climate, regulated by the Ocean, is temperate year-round. The inland cities (Fez, Meknes and Marrakech) offer higher but still moderate temperatures (in June, the mean temperature reaches 24° C in Marrakech, 21° C in Fez and 21° C in Meknès; with maximum temperatures of 33 degrees C).

Furthermore, the low humidity of the inland cities makes their climate even more pleasant.

Morocco will therefore offer the FIFA World CupTM a climate much more favorable than many of the previous editions.

The following table shows the temperatures in June at 2 p.m. (the hour at which the temperature reaches a peak) for the venue cities of Morocco 2010 during the period between 1996 and 2000. Its shows clearly that the weather in Morocco is ideal: the players will have the opportunity to display a wealth of football skills and art, and the fans will enjoy every minute of their stay in Morocco (not to forget the possibilities offered by the country's 3,500 km of bathing beaches).

Temperatures as at 2 p.m., in degrees C. (In June – period 1996-2000)

Agadir

Average

Minimum recorded

Maximum recorded

23,7

22,7

26,7

Humidity %

Mean rainy days of over 5mm in June

68,7

0

Casablanca

23,6

21,7

25,2

69,9

0

El Jadida

23,2

22,2

23,9

72,8

0

Fez

28,9

25,9

32,1

36,7

2

Marrakech

31,1

27,9

33,2

34,6

1

Meknes

28,4

25,7

31,6

43,2

2

Rabat

24,6

23,0

28,0

62,7

1

Tangier

25,5

22,3

28,1

56,4

2

Source: The National Weather Service of Morocco (DMN, Ministry of Equipment)

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Morocco 2010 puts the World Cup at the service of all of Africa In 2010, for the first time in its history, Africa will play host to the FIFA World CupTM. “This is a unique opportunity to tap the incredible influence of football and change the lives of Africans,” declared Mr. Sâad Kettani, Morocco's Bid Committee president. Speaking to the members of the African Football Confederation convened in Tunisia, Mr. Kettani spoke of Morocco's determination to allow the entire African continent to reap the fruits of this competition.

“Morocco proposes a project we have called “Football without Frontiers”, which will be used to overcome the issues faced by the entire continent and not only by one single country. Every four years, the Football World Cup is watched by billions of spectators.

The worldwide enthusiasm accompanying this event is just phenomenal. If this energy is harnessed, football can help make the world a much better place to live,” added Mr. Kettani.

“Our fund can become a powerful leverage of development,” Mr. Kettani said, “and its ambitions for Africa are quite clear: opposing war-induced violence, supporting the fight against the pandemic diseases threatening the future and the promotion of the education of youth.”

Morocco 2010 proposes that “Football without Frontiers” be operated as an independent trust without legal or financial bonds to FIFA or the World Cup Organizing Committee.

A managing board constituted of recognized and respected members of the sports, corporate and political communities will be entrusted with the management of this trust. An Investment Committee featuring representatives of major international donors and community foundations (such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Fund) will study and choose the projects worthy of support. Lastly, a management team steered by an executive chairman will oversee the business management of this trust.

“We have developed a preliminary strategy including the details of this trust,” explained Mr. Kettani. “We want to use football to raise the awareness of and train young people all over the continent, especially through the opening of football schools for needy children.”

Two of the most active ambassadors of Morocco 2010 have been honored for their exceptional performances during the past year.

Tennis player Younes El Aynaoui, ranked in the top 20 ATP tour players, was awarded the 2003 Tennis Ambassador Prize by the International Tennis Journalists Association in recognition of the sportsmanship, the fairplay and the great willingness of El Aynaoui.

M e d i a Sound media coverage is crucial to the success of the FIFA World Cup and for the development of football worldwide. Mindful of the challenges and the technical complexity of this coverage, Morocco 2010 gives special interest to the design of a consistent media strategy for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. "The provision of optimum media facilities is a vital component in the successful organisation of a FIFA World Cup,” said Jayne Pearce, who has frequently served as a FIFA Media Officer and who helped develop Morocco 2010’s media plans. “Morocco has taken care to ensure that there will be a superb, world class Main Media Centre provided in Casablanca but has also not forgotten the importance of the venues.

Each venue will have ample work space, practical mixed zones and well thought out operational areas."

The media concept proposed by Morocco 2010 is based on the creation of a network of media centers in the stadiums and cutting edge broadcast compounds enabling the media to work in optimal conditions of efficiency and speed.

Sitting at the heart of this system, Morocco 2010 will set up an ultramodern Main Media Center in Casablanca within the magnificent congress center of the Exchange Office. Ideally located in the immediate vicinity of the airport

Honoring the Ambassadors of Morocco 2010

Middle-distance runner Hicham El Guerrouj, four times world champion of 1,500m (1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003) was awarded Best Athlete of the Year for the third consecutive time by IAAF.

I N F R A S T R U C T U R E S

The Olympic Football Team of Morocco is the winner of the Qatar International Friendship Tournament The Moroccan Olympic football squad won the third Qatar International Friendship Tournament, after defeating South Korea in the final match by 3 goals to 1 (half time: 0-1). Besides Morocco, this tournament also saw the participation of the Olympic squads of Qatar, South Korea, Paraguay, Switzerland, Japan, Norway and Denmark.

This tournament represents an important preparation step for the forthcoming qualifying matches to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

and the highway and railway networks, this center will allow journalists to be into the heart of the World Cup action. Thanks to its functional architecture and its vast landscaped areas, it offers a pleasant setting for work.

"The Morocco World Cup will be remembered for its creativity, its flair, and, from a broadcaster point of view, its simplicity!” said Patrick Furlong, the former Chief Operating Officer for HBS for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/JapanTM. Furlong designed the IBC plans for Morocco 2010 and the broadcast facilities for the venues.

“Whilst we all appreciate the enormous task that faces the organizers of such an event, it is the aim of Morocco 2010 to provide broadcasters with 9 state of the art stadiums, but only one venue. It is our aim to simplify, concentrate and standardize the broadcast services at each stadium so that broadcasters feel immediately at home at any of them because each will have a similar and familiar setup."

"Each stadium provides enough Compound space to ensure that most of the major broadcast and production activities are contained in this secure area,” Furlong continued. “Unlike previous World Cups, where some compromises had to be made, production and technical space within the stadium will be kept to a minimum, thus allowing maximum use of interior space for the activities of FIFA, the LOC and the press."

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Marrakech Stadium

History Casablanca traces its origins to the medieval Berber town of Anfa, which was built on a small plateau which is now one of the city's suburbs. Over the centuries, the town would come under the influence of the successive Moroccan dynasties: the Almoravids, Almohads and Merinids, but it was not a major settlement until the mid-1800’s.

Mohammed V sport complex

Casablanca was attacked and destroyed by the Portuguese in 1468 in reprisal for piracy. Portugal sent a fleet of 50 vessels and 10,000 soldiers to occupy the town. They sacked and then abandoned it. But the resilient pirates soon revived the town, and the Portuguese returned in 1515 and destroyed it once again.

The history of the Mohammed V Stadium is bound up with that of football in Morocco. The Stadium has been home to innumerable international matches. National squads from all over the world have set foot on the pitch of this mythical stadium, where the teams of Wydad and Raja, Morocco's most reputed derby teams, played regularly.

• Capacity of the stadium (all seats): 50,000 • Work forecast: existing stadium – World Cup upgrades to be started in 2005

The Portuguese eventually rebuilt the town in 1575 in an attempt to establish control over the area. They fortified it and gave it the name Casa Branca. However, the Portuguese rulers fell under constant attack by surrounding Muslim tribes and were finally forced to abandon the town in 1755.

Under the reign of Sidi Mohamed ben Abdallah (1757-1790) the town was rebuilt once again, refortified, and renamed Dar Al Beida (The White House), which the Spanish eventually translated to Casablanca after trade became well established with merchants from Cadiz and Madrid.

The beginning of 2003 saw the start of work of the first bulldozers on the construction site of the Marrakech Stadium. Today, excavation works are complete and building of the foundations is well underway. The first structures are already visible, with the risers for the east tribune and the warming-up halls taking shape.

Casablanca remained small (no more than 600 inhabitants) until the development of the city's harbour facilities and the establishment of regular maritime services between Morocco and Marseille.

Commercial relations between Casablanca and Europe became improved and the city grew.

The stadium architecture draws its inspiration from the traditional architecture of Southern Morocco, particularly the Kasbahs of the Atlas Mountain, on top of the inspiration from the configuration of Anglo-Saxon stadiums.

General Lyautey, the French Resident-General, completed the construction of the harbour in 1912, making Casablanca the country's economic centre.

Casablanca Today

At the completion of the works in June 2007, this magnificent stadium will have a gross capacity of 70,000 seats.

Casablanca has grown into the Morocco’s major metropolitan center, an economic powerhouse in North Africa. Hundreds of multinational firms have established their main North African headquarters in Casablanca and manage their African activities from the city.

Once Morocco is selected as the organizing country for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Marrakech Stadium will host the opening match, one of the quarter-final matches and a semi final match.

With 30 kilometers of beaches, numerous cultural facilities and an intense nightlife (hundreds of restaurants and nightclubs), Casablanca is also a very vibrant, active city.

Casablanca is also undergoing an urban planning revolution which will change the face of the city in the coming years. The famous Corniche (seaside area) will be renovated and new resorts will be established. A new 2 kilometer avenue, the Avenue Royale, will be developed, accompanied by impressive buildings such as the new conference center and the Grand Theater.

Fact sheet

The project also includes the renovation of existing parks and the construction of new parks and public gardens.

Casablanca in figures Population

3 353 000

Altitude above sea level (m)

50 June July

20 23

June Number of rainfall days of more than 5mm July

0 0

Mean monthly temperature (C°)

Number of beds in classified hotels Total number of beds available in Casablanca in 2010

Today 2010

10 204 19 649 34 400

Casablanca Grand Stade • Total gross capacity: 95,000 • Works expected to start in 2004 and will be completed in March 2009

Name

Stade de Marrakech

Gross capacity

70,000

VIP seats

600

Media positions

2,750

Seats for disabled persons

408

Pitch dimensions

Length: 105m – Width: 68m

Type of pitch material

Natural grass lawn

Distance from airport

15 km

Distance from city center

8 km

Building-related

information

735,500 cubic meters of mass earthwork

The Grand Stade of Casablanca is expected to become the symbolic stadium of Morocco. Following its completion in 2009, the Grand Stade will definitely be the most modern and luxurious stadium in Africa. It is slated to host the final match of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM.

67,000 cubic meters of concrete 6,100 tons of concrete steel 17,860 square meters of metal roofing 7 positions for cranes in total

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The history of the Moroccan football 1960-1976 : GLOBAL RECOGNITION After regaining Independence in 1956, the Moroccan team could finally stand on its own. In 1962 World Cup qualifying, Morocco defeated Tunisia and Ghana to face Spain and Di Stefano, future winners of the 1964 European Nations Cup. Morocco lost to Spain, but gained a reputation as the “Land of Football.”

The skillful and self-assured Moroccan team, standing against one of the world’s strongest squads, helped to awaken the tremendous potential of African football.

Finally, in 1970, Morocco became the first African nation to qualify for the final stage of the FIFA World CupTM. Though drawing once and losing twice, the Atlas Lions earned tremendous respect after leading for 70 minutes against the German team of Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller, before finally losing, 2-1.

His Majesty the King Hassan II and Bekenbauer

F O O T B A L L

In 1976, Morocco finally capped its rise to international football prominence. Facing African powers Nigeria, Egypt, Zaire, Sudan, and the Sily of Guinea with the renowned Petit Sorry, Morocco claimed the African Cup of Nations, led by their phenomenal goal scorer and 1975 African Footballer, Faras.

Morocco also continued its role as the “Land of Football” on another front during this time, thanks to its legendary competition, the Mohamed V Cup. Inaugurated in 1962, the Mohammed V Cup attracted the greatest teams from throughout the world. A partial list of winners tells the story of the glorious football played in Casablanca in this tournament and the extraordinary footballers who have raised the Mohammed V Cup, teams such as Stade de Reims, Partizan Belgrade, Boca Juniors, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Flamengo, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Penarol, Dynamo de Kiev, and Anderlecht.

Eusebio and Attouga - 1975

Faras

Morocco's greatest football moments Morocco 1986

The first country to reach the second round of a World Cup: Mexico 1986 The saga of Mexico 1986 World Cup Moroccan national squad became a legend in its own lifetime. In fact, Morocco did not content itself with becoming the first country to qualify to the second round of the World Cup, it actually finished first in its group, which was made up of European football stars and squads the likes of England, Poland (semifinalist of the former edition) and Portugal (semifinalist of the European Nations Championships). In the round of 16, featuring Morocco against Germany, a superb free kick in the 89th minute by Lothar Matthaus, put a premature end to this unforgettable adventure.