Johannesburg - A huge Moroccan fanbase is expected to fill up the Al Bayt Stadium for their historic Fifa World Cup clash on Wednesday night thanks to their Football Association according to reports.
Morocco became the first African nation to qualify for the semi-final of the World Cup after beating Portugal in the quarter-final.
That victory meant that the Ultras Lions booked themselves a clash against defending champions France in the semi-final in Al Khor on Wednesday.
France will be wearing the favourites tag against the Arab nation, but the Moroccan FA have done all they can to ensure they support their nation.
Such that reports emerged that they gave away 13 000 free tickets to their fans, with 30 chartered national carriers set to transport them to the match.
Those exploits, though, augured well for the support of the Ultras Lions as they are expected to have 45 000 fans in a 68 895 capacity stadium.
A win for Morocco against Les Bleus would see them qualify for their first World Cup final where they'd face Argentina who beat Croatia in the semis.
The Moroccan FA is one of the few federations on the continent that are enjoying the fruits of their labour given the investment they put in football.
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When Fifa splashed out R300 000 million to the federations across the globe, the Moroccan FA, together with its government, added a staggering R4.1 billion to that investment.
That money was used to build the plush Mohammed Vl Football Complex in Rabat which is the base that's used by their respective national teams.
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Those investments have paid dividends in Qatar, while the women’s national team recently qualified for their first-ever World Cup finals as well.
Morocco have also been dominating inter-club competitions, as both the current Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup winners hail from the North African nation.
IOL Sport