With its reputation as a tourism destination steadily gaining more credence, Morocco is set to enjoy another boost as one of its main cities, Marrakech, will host a prestigious friendly between two giants of European football: Inter Milan and Paris Saint Germain. The friendly fixture has been confirmed by both teams on their respective websites and through the various media channels with the game slated to hold on the 30th of December, 2014.
The Moroccan Football Federation has also confirmed that both European giants will also hold training camps in Marrakech during the winter breaks from their leagues, the French Ligue 1 and the Italian Serie A . The attraction of these clubs to Morocco will be pleasing to football authorities in the Mahgreb nation as they have recently been embroiled in a bitter spat with the Confederation of African Football over its (Morocco’s) controversial decision to withdraw its hosting rights of the 2015 African Cup of Nations.
The match will be played at the Grand Stade, a 40,000 capacity ground nestled in the city of Marrakech, which is scheduled to have hosted the final of the FIFA Club World Cup only 10 days earlier- on December 20.
Morocco’s selection as the host country for the game has credible precedent as the Moroccan city of Tanger hosted the 2011 French Super Cup between Lille and Marseille. The 2011 fixture drew an attendance of 33,900 people which was just about 5,000 less than the attendance the 2014 edition of the Super Cup attracted in China who have a far superior population. While Morocco will have been hoping to present its case as a leading player in the African sports sector through the successful hosting of the African Cup of Nations, the Moroccan Football Federation will certainly be eager to accept more opportunities to host training camps of popular European countries and exploring methods through which it can leverage the presence of such teams.
Earlier this year, the world witnessed how glamorous friendly games could have significant impact on the local economy as the pre-season friendly between Real Madrid and Manchester United drew a phenomenal crowd of 109,318 at the University of Michigan Stadium. The appeal of both football juggernauts resulted in the game recording the fourth biggest crowd in United States’ history for a sporting event.
The economic impact in Michigan was measured in millions of dollars as tourists trooped in to catch a glimpse o both great teams.
With a 7.2% increase in tourist arrivals since 2012, Morocco’s tourism industry which accounts for 10% of its GDP could well enjoy a boost if the potential of events such as this are harnessed.
