Morocco legend to Koooora: enough racism, it is time to raise Africa's banner
Haji disagrees with José Mourinho
Mustapha Hadji, the legend of the Moroccan national team, has called for the 2030 World Cup final to be held on Moroccan soil, insisting "it is time to raise the African banner".
Morocco co-hosts the next World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, with Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay each set to stage one match, marking 100 years since the tournament began.
Two of those hosts are now locked in a battle for the showpiece. Morocco and Spain both want the 2030 final.
Spanish media are waging a fierce campaign to take the match to the Santiago Bernabeu, while Morocco insists on the Grand Stade Hassan II, currently under construction in the Benslimane province near Casablanca.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said that "the World Cup final must be held at a legendary stadium such as the Santiago Bernabeu".
Hadji sees it differently. He believes staging the match in Morocco would be fair, especially given how often Europe and North America have hosted the tournament throughout history.
Speaking in a video interview with Kooora to be published later, Hadji said: "Of course I want the final to be held in Morocco, in Casablanca or Rabat, especially as we have the capabilities that qualify us for that".
He added: "I want to see the World Cup final held in Africa for a second time after the first time, which was in South Africa in 2010. I believe the time has come to raise the African banner".
Asked about the Spanish push to host the final amid recent controversy over racism in Spanish stadiums, Hadji did not hold back. "Yes, honestly I see that there is racism, and they also practise racism when they demand that the match be kept away from Africa despite it being held more than once in Europe and the United States".
Could Morocco deliver an edition to surpass Qatar 2022, which many rank among the best in history? Hadji has no doubts.
The former Moroccan star replied: "Yes, Moroccan football officials have been working since 2012 on more than one front to develop the game, and today we have all the qualifications, to the extent that dual-nationality players active in the European leagues are asking to play for Morocco".
