Rabat’s nothing like it used to be, the locals say. And a couple of years from now, they’ll doubtless be offering similar views. For some it will be a lament. For others an opportunity, especially those wafting around the landscaped lather of projects such as Le Carrousel along the Atlantic waterfront.
Ocean views from airy apartments, on site sports clubs and a mall nearby combining for a weapons-grade lifestyle by the sea.
Morocco’s football federation chief, Fouzi Lekjaa, harbours such beauteous plans for the country’s national football teams.
The men are bubbling along. They’ve featured regularly at the Africa Cup of Nations often flattering to deceive.
They fell into Egypt’s trap at the last Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Instead of playing football, they were lured into niggles and unnecessary tussles.
They’ll be a lot wilier at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
The women – nicknamed the Atlas Lionesses – stand one game away from going to the World Cup for the first time.
Chance
They take on Botswana on Wednesday night at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium a couple of kilometres from the swish constructions along the Corniche.
Because this women’s Cup of Nations falls a year before the World Cup, it is being used as qualifiers for next year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
The four teams who reach the semi-finals will book their berths in the antipodes.
The four who fail will vie for the two places in the intercontinental play-offs for the World Cup.
A layer upon the layers for last eight outfits such as Morocco and Botswana who have never featured before at the Cup of Nations.
Goal
"We have a goal to get to the semis,” said Morocoo boss Reynald Pedros, who was drafted in by Lakjaa in November 2020 after leading Lyon’s women’s team to two French league titles and two Champions League crowns.
“We’ve been building towards this goal for around a year,” added the 50-year-old former France international.
“Today we’re where we wanted to be. We finished first in our group and were playing in a quarter-final. What’s really not necessary is to put a negative pressure on the players.
“I think it’s important to work and to reassure them on the potential of our team.”
Rather sedate analysis in contrast to the Botswana striker Nondi Fingi Mahlasela who promised Pedros's protégées a bullfight.
“I can honestly say that it is not going to be easy for Morocco,” snarled the 30-year-old who plays for the Prison XI in Botswana.
“We are all looking for that spot in the World Cup. Something like that can change our lives and our football.”
Firsts
The stakes will be as high in Wednesday’s other quarter-final in Casablanca between Zambia and Senegal.
Neither have featured in the semis at the Cup of Nations. Neither has been to the World Cup.
The Senegalese women seep ambition to emulate Aliou Cissé’s team who beat Egypt to lift the Cup of Nations for the first time in February.
They all went back to Dakar with very sore heads after partying all night long and all night through at their hotel in Yaoundé to be greeted by thousands of fans lining the streets and a presidential reception.
Just before the match with Zambia in Casablanca, midfielder Safiétou Sagna made no bones about wanting to bathe in such glory. “I arrived as a queen and want to return as a legend,” she intoned.
Bruce Mwapa’s Zambia will be tough to break down though. Like Senegal, they conceded only once during the group stages and the encounter will turn on which side maintains its sang froid.
Experience
With such giddy heights looming for Wednesday’s quarter-finalists, three of Thursday’s contenders could be accused of emitting world weariness.
Cameroon, who play Nigeria in Casablanca, are both old hands at the Cup of Nations and have both featured in several World Cups. Cameroon finished behind Zambia in Group B while Nigeria started their Group C campaign with a relative catastrophe: a loss to South Africa.
Randy Waldrum’s players recovered their poise to beat Botswana 2-0 and thrash debutantes Burundi 4-0 to finish on six points as South Africa topped the pool with three victories.
The Group C winners will take on the relatively inexperienced Tunisians who have not played at the Cup of Nations since 2008 when they failed to move past the group stages.
Benefit
Back then, the continental tournament featured eight teams.
Fourteen years later, the format for Morocco has been reconfigured to 12 teams enabling the two best third-placed sides to advance to the last eight.
Tunisia benefited from the revamp on the back of one victory over Togo before defeats to Cameroon and Zambia.
But less than a fortnight on they, like Botswana, Morocco, Zambia and Senegal, stand 90 minutes or so away from a World Cup debut.
South Africa coach Desiree Ellis says her players will be wary of believing they are in a mismatch, especially with a second consecutive World Cup appearance at stake.
Even though a place in the quarters had been assured, the former South Africa skipper picked a strong team for the final Group C game against Botswana.
The side left it late to win 1-0 but the victory delivered the momentum Ellis wanted for her charges.
Another surge will carry them into familiar territory of a Cup of Nations semi-final and a place at the World Cup.
Amid the teams bawling for recognition as well as the shifting sands around Rabat, that's rather same old, same old.
