Revue Economie, Gestion et Société (Dec 2017)
ECONOMIE DU SPORT ENTRE RESSOURCES FINANCIERES ET RESULTATS INAPPROPRIES: REGARDS SUR LE FOOTBALL MAROCAIN
Abstract
Sports as attraction is no longer limited to a simple physical activity for entertainment, it is considered as a full-fledged sector whose social and economic stakes are limitless; but again, its political influence is undeniable. Countries use it as a strong argument to convey and defend their political interests. Football, the most popular sport in the world, has become a marker of identity for many nations; some countries have even been primarily referred to as a football country, Brazil as a case in point. In Morocco, football is the first sports activity par excellence. Today, it is clear that football dominates the other sports on the level of media coverage, on the financial level and even in terms of infrastructure. We should, however, state that Morocco has recently focused sports and made it one of its priorities. Huge investments have emerged, and several strategies have been deployed, such as the 2016-2026 strategy to improve football management in all its aspects. But the failure to achieve results persists despite the invested billions of dirhams and the efforts of the Moroccan government. Moroccan football officials have long justified these poor results by the lack of financial resources, and they believe that through financial investments, football will manage to take a leading position at the regional and international levels. Time has proven the assumption to be a mere deception, and despite large investments made in the sector, both football clubs and the national team are still lagging behind. The problem is not purely financial as most officials would believe; the management of Moroccan football suffers from several social, economic, and managerial deficiencies. This article will attempt to revisit some aspects of Moroccan football; its predicaments and challenges.
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