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.
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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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Friday’s fixture
6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta
6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman
9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas
9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
THREE
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