Moroccan mothers are a reason they are in semis, says ‘prophetic’ Oliseh

GBNEWS24DESK//

Former Nigerian midfielder Sunday Oliseh said there is a big impact of the mothers behind Morocco’s run to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Ranked 30 th in the world, the African nation stunned everyone, including Belgium, Spain and Portugal, on their way to a first ever World Cup semifinal appearance for an Arab and an African nation.

The Moroccan players have been cheered on by their mothers and families, with pictures of the families celebrating on the pitches having already gone viral.

Oliseh, married to a Moroccan, said he felt the closely-knit family structure makes the teams stronger.

“The African and Arab players are very loyal to their mothers. The love of the mothers are reflected in the performance of the players. This is one of the reasons behind their incredible performance,” said Oliseh, who is in Doha as part of FIFA’s Technical Study Group.

That Morocco made it this far in the tournament is not a surprise to the Nigerian. In fact he saw this coming, ‘despite the lack of facilities and financial incentives available in Morocco.’

“If the Moroccan team have the same facilities as the Japanese have to prepare for the World Cup, Morocco will get to the semifinal,” Oliseh had said during an interview with a Malaysian TV channel four years ago.

“If they have the same financial investment as the Japanese have, Morocco will get to the semifinal,” Oliseh had said.