Over een maandje word het zover
President of the international football federation (FIFA), Joseph Blatter, launched Thursday the construction of a center for football training in Maamoura (near Rabat).
The US $845.000-worth project is funded by FIFA, part the Goal project that is a development initiative destined to meet specific needs of member national associations. The project is aimed at bridging the gap between the developed European countries and the under developed nations in Africa, Asia and South America to help develop football worldwide, as it offers the beneficiary countries the opportunity to train coaches, referees, and football administrators as well as to embark on youth development programmes.
The training center in Morocco, to be built on a 2,200 meter area, will comprise 24 double rooms and 10 individual rooms, a restaurant, in addition to a body-building and care rooms.
President of the Moroccan football royal federation, Housni Benslimane, said the center is part of efforts aimed at upgrading national football. He added that the center is part of a series of sports infrastructures, including Moulay Rachid national sports institute, the royal institute for cadres training and the sports center. These infrastructures, he said, will constitute in the near future the Olympic city of Maamoura.
In the same connection, Blatter said he is proud of this project that would enable over sixty people to follow an adequate training in football.
Some 170 countries have already benefited of the Goal project that will enter in the second phase in the near future, said president of the Goal Project, Mohamed Ben Hammam Al Abdellah, underlining that it is a dream that comes true.
Blatter, who is on a two-day visit to Morocco, was received Thursday by HM king Mohammed VI.