Women's national team vs. Senegal, March 20, 2010

coaches from the Sidi Moumen Nassim team


The game felt a lot like the day they played France two years ago on Women's Day: a lot of anticipation, then a slightly below average performance followed by again, the squashing of any hope in playing in the African cup or reaching an international tournament.

This game, on March 20, was against Senegal, the return game at a Sale turf football field (for the life of me I cannot understand why they would play on a turf field rather than a real grass field, yes Morocco has quite a few, and should be opened to the women's national team). I made the trip from Casablanca, considered painting my face red but settled on a national team jersey and a green hoodie. Again, girls teams from all over Morocco came, in buses, grand taxis and trains. There was a 50 person brass band, journalists on each end, the junior Moroccan men's national team as well as a modest VIP area which I imagine was reserved for president of the women's commission and anyone else he managed to drag to the game to elevate its importance.

There is not much else to say. The spectators watched and cheered and yelled insults but mostly just came to catch up on women's football gossip. Senegal fielded a strong, tall, big boned team with speed and a slightly better than average touch while the Moroccans were slow, heavy and constantly pushed off or beaten to the ball. As the game was nearing its end, the journalists and photographers who normally should have their cameras pointed at the net or focused on strikers lit their cigarets, layed their cameras in their laps and leaned back on the grass.

I spoke with my friend Hassan, a journalist with Radio Mars, who agreed with me that the coach had no idea who he was playing on the field. Apparently, he is new, and benched some players that should have been playing. Frankly, I am not sure if it would have made a difference.

I did see my old team ACDA, a couple of the girls, who more or less looked the same. It made me think of Rabat again, and Abderahman the coach, and Megan and filming and playing on the Oudaya beach.

I caught a ride back with the Sidi Moumen team in their bus, half listening to one of their coaches talk about the problems of women's football in Morocco and if the federation had just consulted him in building the national team and the league, then maybe things would be different. Again, I doubt this.