Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina celebrates after their historic victory over South Korea. Reuters
Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina celebrates after their historic victory over South Korea. Reuters
Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina celebrates after their historic victory over South Korea. Reuters
Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina celebrates after their historic victory over South Korea. Reuters

Morocco's women prove it's not just the men who enjoy World Cup spotlight


  • English
  • Arabic

It might be a cliche but just competing at this year’s Women’s World Cup was already a victory for Morocco.

Yet to actually win a game … that was something else altogether. That was history.

Following hot on the heels of their male counterparts, who stunned the world by making the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Atlas Lionesses are out to prove that Morocco can be a force in the women’s game as well.

Morocco qualified for this year’s tournament by virtue of reaching the final of last year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), which they also hosted.

In taking their place alongside the elite of the sport in Australia and New Zealand, they earned the distinction of becoming the first nation from the Arab world to qualify for women’s football’s marquee event.

“We are honoured to be the first Arab country to take part in the Women's World Cup," captain Ghizlane Chebbak told reporters before the tournament. "We feel that we have to shoulder a big responsibility to give a good image.”

Their debut against world No 2 Germany was one to forget, however, as they were on the wrong side of a 6-0 scoreline. The result exposed the gap between Europe and the rest of the world that now also increasingly exists in the women’s game, not just the men’s.

But against South Korea on a crisp winter’s day in Adelaide, when Ibtissam Jraidi’s glanced header found the back of the net in just the sixth minute, even more history was made as they registered not only their first goal, but also their first victory.

There were tears of joy on the pitch and in the stands, and no doubt countless more back in Morocco as the realisation of their achievement sunk in.

“As many Moroccans woke up to the news on Sunday, people started to understand that a win in a Women's World Cup was not something one should take for granted, but rather an accomplishment in itself,” Moroccan journalist Amine El Amri told The National.

That win means they go into their final group game – against already-qualified Colombia in Perth on Thursday (2pm UAE) – with a chance of making the last 16. Indeed, should they better Germany's result against South Korea, they will make even more history by qualifying for the knockout stages.

  • Morocco's Ibtissam Jraidi celebrates scoring her team's first goal at any Women's World Cup in the 1-0 win over South Korea at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide on July 30, 2023. AFP
    Morocco's Ibtissam Jraidi celebrates scoring her team's first goal at any Women's World Cup in the 1-0 win over South Korea at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide on July 30, 2023. AFP
  • Morocco players celebrate Ibtissam Jraidi's goal against South Korea. Reuters
    Morocco players celebrate Ibtissam Jraidi's goal against South Korea. Reuters
  • Morocco's Ibtissam Jraidi celebrates scoring with her teammates. AFP
    Morocco's Ibtissam Jraidi celebrates scoring with her teammates. AFP
  • Moroccan players celebrate a goal scored by Ibtissam Jraidi. EPA
    Moroccan players celebrate a goal scored by Ibtissam Jraidi. EPA
  • South Korea defender Shim Seo-Yeon controls the ball. AFP
    South Korea defender Shim Seo-Yeon controls the ball. AFP
  • Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina, left, tackles South Korea forward Ji So-yun. AFP
    Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina, left, tackles South Korea forward Ji So-yun. AFP
  • Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina receives a yellow card from Brazilian referee Edina Alves. AFP
    Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina receives a yellow card from Brazilian referee Edina Alves. AFP
  • Morocco's Rosella Ayane, second right, competes for the ball with South Korea's Shim Seo-yeon , left, Cho So-hyun, and Kim Hye-ri, right. AP
    Morocco's Rosella Ayane, second right, competes for the ball with South Korea's Shim Seo-yeon , left, Cho So-hyun, and Kim Hye-ri, right. AP
  • Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina reacts after sustaining an injury. Reuters
    Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina reacts after sustaining an injury. Reuters
  • South Korea's Hong Hye-ji in action with Morocco's Elodie Nakkach. Reuters
    South Korea's Hong Hye-ji in action with Morocco's Elodie Nakkach. Reuters
  • Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina prepares to take a free-kick. Reuters
    Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina prepares to take a free-kick. Reuters

Although most people around the world are just becoming aware of Morocco’s involvement in the women’s game, this is not a chance qualification, rather the culmination of many years of investment and development.

“Exponential,” added El Amri, when asked about the growth of women’s football in Morocco.

“I can't see any other African nation involved in the women's game as much as Morocco. The Moroccan FA has a two-tier professional championship and pays the players' wages to encourage elite football.

“When it comes to results, the Under-17 national team made it to the World Cup in India in 2022 and the senior team reached the Wafcon final last summer, while local powerhouse AS FAR won the African Women's Champions' League back in December.

“If you add in top level coaching staff and a wide scouting policy, we can see that development is a constant aspect of the women's game in Morocco.”

Hosting last year’s Wafcon, which saw 45,000 supporters attend the final against South Africa, was a game changer, according to Chebbak.

“Things have changed since Wafcon," said the 32-year-old forward. "We managed to change society’s perception of women’s football at that tournament."

Back in Adelaide, a beaming Jraidi hailed their win over South Korea, ranked 55 places higher in the Fifa rankings, as a win not just for Morocco but a win for the entire Arab world.

That is particularly the case given the presence of 25-year-old defender Nouhaïla Benzina – the first Hijabi player to grace the field at a Women’s World Cup.

“For her, she’s just playing her game,” the former Lebanon international, Assile Toufaily, told The Asian Game Podcast. “But I think what she may not understand now is that in a few years time what she did in this tournament will play a huge role in the future of women’s football in the Middle East.

“What she is showing by playing on the biggest stage in the world at the World Cup, day after day, is that being a Hijabi isn’t a crime – it’s not something to be ashamed of. Putting on a Hijab can’t prevent you from doing what you love.”

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The lowdown

Bohemian Rhapsody

Director: Bryan Singer

Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee

Rating: 3/5

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

First-round leaderbaord

-5 C Conners (Can)

-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);

-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)

Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)

Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng) 

1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)

3 R McIlroy (NI)

4 D Johnson (US)

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

RESULTS

6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.

7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.

9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

Squads

India (for first three ODIs) Kohli (capt), Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Rahane, Dhoni, Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh, Shami.

Australia Smith (capt), Warner, Agar, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Cummins, Faulkner, Finch, Head, Maxwell, Richardson, Stoinis, Wade, Zampa.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

All%20We%20Imagine%20as%20Light
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPayal%20Kapadia%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kani%20Kusruti%2C%20Divya%20Prabha%2C%20Chhaya%20Kadam%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ASHES FIXTURES

1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27 
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8

Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now

Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.

The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.

1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):

a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33

b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.

2. For those who have worked more than five years

c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.

Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.

Updated: August 03, 2023, 6:34 PM