Morocco’s last Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game, which was supposed to be on Saturday against Liberia, has been moved because of the terrible earthquake that hit the country.
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit the High Atlas mountains late Friday night, killing at least 1,037 people and injuring 1,204 others, 721 of whom are in critical condition.
The number of deaths is likely to go up even more. Morocco’s Interior Ministry said Saturday morning that most of the deaths have happened in Marrakech and five provinces close to where the quake hit. Rescuers are still trying to reach people in the rubble and get to places in the mountains that are hard to reach.
The men’s national football team of Morocco was supposed to play Liberia in Agadir on Saturday night in their final Group K Africa Cup of Nations match, but the game has been canceled because of the tragedy. Agadir is a city on the southern coast of Morocco’s Atlantic Ocean, about 258 kilometers from Marrakech.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation said in a statement that the game would be moved and that they were sorry for the people who died in the terrible earthquake and their families.
“Due to the earthquake that hit some parts of Morocco, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation has decided to postpone the match between the national team and the Liberian team, which was to take place on September 9, 2023, in the final round of qualifying for the 2024 African Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire, until a later date, in agreement with the Confederation of African Football,” the statement said.
“After this terrible injury, the national football family sends its deepest condolences to the victims’ families and hopes that everyone who was hurt will get better quickly.”
Morocco has already qualified for the next Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in the Ivory Coast. It was supposed to happen this summer, but because of weather worries, it has been moved to January and February 2024.
Even though Morocco and Liberia won’t play on Saturday, there are talks going on about the important Africa Cup of Nations match between Congo and Gambia in Group G, which is set to take place in Marrakech on Sunday night.
