Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, the Minister of Youth, Culture, and Sports, announced the activation of around 800 community sports fields this year, focusing on rural areas and the outskirts of cities, in response to the increasing demand for sports infrastructure from local communities and residents.
Bensaid stated, while presenting the ministry's budget project to the Education, Culture, and Communication Committee in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, that the ministry aims to expand the base of sports participation and ensure equitable access to sports facilities. He emphasized citizens' right to practice sports and the need for collaboration with partners to promote neighborhood and village sports, involving sports federations in local sports development.
Regarding sector management, the government official confirmed the ministry's commitment to support and address the organizational issues facing many sports federations in Morocco. He explained that a committee has been formed to grant the concerned federations deadlines to rectify their situations before resorting to legal action, following the experience of addressing issues faced by the Royal Moroccan Basketball Federation during the previous term.
The minister reported that there are currently two temporary committees managing the Royal Moroccan Federation of Petanque and the Royal Moroccan Badminton Federation, affirming the ministry's right to intervene when administrative problems arise. He noted that the same approach is being followed to address issues facing the federations of table tennis, swimming, cricket, hockey, kickboxing, shooting, and motorcycling.
Bensaid revealed that the ministry is moving towards reviewing the law governing the work of sports federations in Morocco to enhance governance and overcome several provisions that have become outdated. This review will precede a request for sports federations to provide their proposals and observations regarding the expected amendments.
Concerning the fight against violence and negative behavior in stadiums, the minister explained that the ministry adopts a proactive security and administrative approach, relying on modernizing stadiums and equipping them with surveillance cameras and precise tracking systems, in coordination with the relevant security authorities.
The government official pointed out progress in combating the black market and issues related to ticket sales for matches through the comprehensive digitization of the sales process via electronic applications and moving towards eliminating paper tickets. He emphasized the direct responsibility of sports clubs in guiding their fans and contributing to security management during major matches, as well as organizing fan transportation between regions and monitoring it.
In terms of sports activities, Bensaid mentioned that Morocco hosted around 100 major sports events this year, highlighting key events such as the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, the African Futsal Cup of Nations 2026, and the African Under-23 Football Championship.
The minister described the achieved sports results as significant, noting Morocco's victory in the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 and the Africa Futsal Cup of Nations 2026, in addition to the positive results recorded in the recent World Cup and the achievements of national clubs in continental competitions.
