Morocco’s football chief Fouzi Lekjaa has faced a fierce public challenge from Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who criticised the country’s recent record and questioned several of the promises associated with the president of the Federation Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).
With Morocco’s legislative elections less than two weeks away, football has become part of the political campaign. Speaking to an applauding audience, Akhannouch targeted both a political opponent and the sporting legacy built around Lekjaa.
The Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2025 was one of his main points of attack.
“A promise is not saying that we are going to win the Africa Cup of Nations when we are still waiting,” Akhannouch said.
The comment refers to a tournament whose official status remains subject to a legal process. The CAF Appeal Jury currently awards the CAN 2025 title to Morocco after Senegal were forfeited the final. Dakar has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS), with a ruling still pending.
Akhannouch also highlighted the successive failures of the Atlas Lionesses on home soil.
“You lost three consecutive Africa Cups of Nations,” he said, before turning his attention to the Lions’ progress at the 2026 World Cup, which ended in the quarter-finals after Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals in 2022.
He then criticised Lekjaa’s stated ambition to bring the 2030 World Cup final to Morocco.
“Do not promise Moroccans that we will have the final in Morocco when nothing has been decided. [...] This is a decision for the big players, not you,” Akhannouch said.
The attack stands in contrast to the transformation of Moroccan football since Lekjaa became head of the FRMF in 2014.
After a 20-year absence, the Lions returned to the World Cup in 2018. Four years later, Morocco became the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final. The side then won Olympic bronze in 2024 and reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
Morocco’s youth teams have also enjoyed major success, winning CAN U23 2023, CAN U17 2025 and, most notably, the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The country’s local selections have claimed several CHAN titles, while Moroccan futsal has become a continental benchmark.
The women’s team are still seeking a major continental title in football. However, the Atlas Lionesses have reached two Africa Cup of Nations finals and made the last 16 of the 2023 World Cup at their first appearance.
Despite the controversy surrounding its conclusion and the ongoing TAS case, the CAN 2025 title currently remains officially listed in Morocco’s honours.
Lekjaa’s period in charge cannot be measured only by trophies. Morocco has used football as an instrument of soft power, developing academies, training centres and stadiums while regularly hosting African competitions. Its infrastructure is now widely regarded as among the continent’s leading examples, supporting the country’s international ambitions and its role as co-host of the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Lekjaa is not beyond criticism. The scale of investment creates expectations, the search for a women’s African title remains unfinished and some of his promises are open to legitimate debate.
Akhannouch may also have personal grievances against Lekjaa, who is sometimes linked with political ambitions in Morocco. But the episode shows how the figure associated with one of the most successful eras in Moroccan football is now being challenged at home over his sporting record.
It does not, however, establish how Moroccans as a whole view Lekjaa. What is clear is that, with the election approaching, the contest has moved well beyond the football pitch.