The Association of African Sports Confederations (AASC) named the Moroccan national football selection the Best Team of the Year 2023.
The Atlas Lions were rewarded for their historic achievement at the Qatar-2022 World Cup when they became the first African team to reach the final four stage.
The prestigious award was presented during the Association’s annual Gala in Cairo on November 25 to the first Vice-President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Hamza El Hajoui, by the Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sport, Ashraf Sobhy.
In a statement to Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP) on this occasion, El Hajoui praised this achievement, describing the award as a “well-deserved” title for the Atlas Lions, who proudly represented Africa at the World Cup in Qatar.
The Moroccan official stated that the national team’s unprecedented achievement at this global sporting event was the fruit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s Leadership and Far-sighted policy in several fields, including sport, stressing the importance of this award, especially in light of the Kingdom’s prominent position at the continental level.
The ceremony was also marked by the presentation of Africa’s Best Sports Services Award to the Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sport, while the Liberian President H.E. George Weah was crowned African World Exceptional Star of All Time.
For her part, former FIFA Secretary-General, Senegalese Fatma Diouf Samoura, was named the Best Female Sports Personality in Africa, and the President of the Confederation of African Swimming, South African Sam Ram Sami, was awarded the Best African Sports Administration Manager.
The awards for the Best African Club went to Egyptian Al-Ahly, the Best African Confederation to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Best African Sportsman to Senegalese Sadio Mane, while the Best African Sportswoman went to Tunisian Ons Jaber.
On this occasion, the Association of African Sports Confederations (AASC) held the second edition of its International Conference on Sports Anti-Corruption in Africa, where several themes were discussed, including “Media and Corruption in Sport”, “Corruption Prevention”, “Artificial Intelligence Technology and its Applications in Sport”, and “Governance of Sports Bodies”.
The international conference also featured the presentation of several successful experiences of some sports confederations in the fight against corruption, in addition to the election of a new UCSA Board of Directors.