Morocco’s meteoric march through futsal was mind-blowing. Hicham Dguig’s men went from continental nobodies to global powers at lightning pace, monopolising Africa, going on a preposterous 50-match unbeaten streak, and thrilling at back-to-back FIFA Futsal World Cups™.
Now the nation’s women want to jump on the same roller coaster. The Atlas Lionesses only played their maiden international three years ago, but have already conquered the continent, given strict examinations to esteemed teams Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay, and beaten Europeans Croatia, Czechia and Slovakia.
Adil Sayeh’s side now want to reach the latter stages of the first FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup. Morocco will have the honour of kicking off the competition against Argentina at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, Metropolitan Manila on 21 November. Malak Alkilani chats to FIFA about their mission.
Malak Alkilani: With futsal being played indoors on smaller courts, it’s not easy to make the switch from playing on a full-sized pitch. Futsal requires quick decision-making and the ability to play in tight spaces, as well as different physical and tactical requirements to regular football. But with consistent work and a steady build-up of training, I was able to adapt to the tempo.
It felt fantastic and gave me such joy. To write my name into the history of Moroccan futsal was an unbelievable achievement. I am so proud that I got to experience that in front of the Moroccan people in Rabat. It was a moment of pride and honour, and I thank God for having enabled me to achieve it.
How important was the win over Angola and qualification for the FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup?
Beating Angola was a historic milestone. It wasn’t just a normal victory, it was a special moment that has opened a lot of doors for us. For me personally, it was the fulfilment of my lifelong dream of qualifying for a World Cup. Every player dreams of representing her country at the World Cup and, thanks to God, we’ve achieved that. We hope to do Morocco proud on the global stage and show our best.
Honestly, from the very beginning we believed we would win that match, because we had worked so hard for it. Even when we went two goals down early on, we didn’t lose hope or give up. Instead we kept our focus and kept pushing hard. That was a testament to our character. We believed right to the very end that we could turn things round and, thanks to God, we did. It was wonderful to give the Moroccan fans a reason to celebrate.
Jasmine is a very special player, blessed with excellent technique and outstanding individual skills. She also has excellent vision on the court and is one of the key players in our squad.
Despite the defeats, we learned a lot from those matches. They were all valuable experiences at a global level. Those close scorelines show that we’re playing on a similar level now, and that encourages us to keep working hard. We study the finer details of every match and work on improving our performance however we can. God willing, that will help us beat Argentina. We’re working on improving our standard of futsal so we can achieve better results in the future.
There’s more pressure when you’re playing a host nation with a strong crowd behind them, but at the same time that challenge motivates us. It drives us to give our very best and really rise to the occasion.
The Polish national team is very well organised and physically strong. They have good tactical awareness and high technical ability and the skill set to produce moments of individual brilliance. We are studying their strengths so we’re better prepared for when we play them. God willing, we can come out on top and manage to win.
Yes, absolutely. Those results have really boosted morale. When we play against strong teams and put in a high-level performance, it means we are heading in the right direction. We believe in our ability to win at the World Cup and want to go as far as possible.
To be honest, it’s all been very inspiring. The men’s team drives us to make Morocco proud. They’ve proven that hard work and commitment pays off, even in the toughest circumstances. They have shown they can compete with the best teams in the world and, who knows, they could win the World Cup in the future. We hope to follow in their footsteps, achieve similar success and honour our country in the best possible way.
Our goal is to represent our country in the best possible way and deliver a performance to be proud of. We’re aiming to reach the latter stages, and why not? We know it won’t be easy, but the challenge is what inspires us. We want to go as far in the tournament as we can.
I’m so excited. Every girl or boy dreams of playing at senior level and representing their country, and I am fortunate to be part of a squad that will play at the World Cup. It’s a great experience and an opportunity to realise a big dream in my life. I hope to make the team and represent my country in the best way possible.
