The question of financing sports in Morocco is increasingly being asked. According to available figures, the State remains the leading donor in this sector through the ministerial department in charge of sports. Local authorities, the National Sports Development Fund, sponsorship, ticketing and TV rights are also important sources of financing which allow national sport to survive today. The organization of certain major events on the national territory also makes it possible to raise specific funding for each competition.
For sport in Morocco to experience the same success as football, it becomes urgent to find sustainable funding that meets aspirations. Sport, whether we like it or not, matters. Sport has an impact on all segments of society, through integration, health, education, diversity, inclusion, soft power… The benefits reaped by Morocco during the last 2022 World Cup are inestimable. These benefits could be multiplied by 10, or even more, if all sporting disciplines spread internationally. Today, not all disciplines can shine like football, due to a lack of substantial and sustainable financial resources.
Today, financing of sport is largely done by the State through the Ministry of Education, preschool and sports, Moncef El Yazghi, specialist in sports policies in Morocco, told Le Matin. “Essential funding for sport comes from the state, through the Ministry of Sports which delegates its organizational powers to the federations. Each federation is responsible, essentially, for the regulation and development of the sporting discipline for which it is responsible and which it governs throughout Moroccan territory. This state funding finds its source in article 26 of the Constitution: “The public authorities provide, by appropriate means, their support for the development of cultural and artistic creation, and scientific and technical research, and for the promotion of sport. They promote the development and organization of these sectors independently and on precise democratic and professional bases. 2 billion dirhams in subsidies from the state budget Referring to the 2022 Finance Law, the supervisory ministry has reserved an envelope of 2 billion dirhams for sports (excluding investment). This amount was granted in the form of subsidies to the 55 national sports federations existing in Morocco and which operate in various fields: team sport, individual sport, combat sport, mechanical sport, water sport, target sport, racket sport, strength sport, equestrian sport, aerial sport, urban sport, mountain sport and mental sport. This money is distributed to the federations according to criteria which are not well defined. Officially, the aid paid to the 55 federations is done according to objective contracts binding the ministry and the sports associations and specifications to be respected. But these two criteria are rarely respected. Often, it is the weight of a federation president who weighs when putting a number on the check. The absence of a system defining the terms and conditions for granting subsidies has given rise to inequalities between federations. Moncef El Yazghi distinguishes in this sense three kinds of federations: on the one hand those which only have state aid as their only means of financing. These federations, notes El Yazghi, are surviving. On the other hand, those who are headed by presidents capable of financing their sporting activities from their own resources or who are able to seek out sponsors, because of their relational network and, finally, those who benefit from direct aid from the State in addition to the subsidy from the supervisory ministry. El Yazghi cited the athletics and football federations on this subject. Indeed, on the instructions of HM King Mohammed VI, the Football Federation benefits from annual aid of 75 million DH from CDG, OCP and Bank Al-Maghrib. The fact that state aid focuses more on the FRMF makes Moncef El Yazghi say that Morocco has a football policy and not a sports policy. Local authorities, the other major provider of funds for sports associations In addition to state aid, the financing of sports associations also relies largely on local authorities (City Council, Regional Council, Prefectural Council). Of course, there are no exact figures for the overall amount granted to associations throughout the national territory, but communities provide multifaceted support. The aid can be financial, by granting direct subsidies to the clubs: this is the case of the Casablanca clubs which benefit from aid from the city and regional council. It can be in the form of sports equipment and sometimes even in the form of the organization of sporting events. It should be noted that the majority of land and indoor rooms in Morocco belong to local authorities. Infrastructure made available to associations. The National Sports Development Fund is 700 million DH per year The other lever for financing sports in Morocco is the National Sports Development Fund (FNDS). This fund is funded by the Marocaine des jeux et des sports to the tune of 700 million DH per year. The FNDS constitutes a financial lever serving the policy of the Ministry of Sports. Its resources are used to subsidize sports federations, to support high-level athletes during their participation in regional, national and international competitions and to finance major sports infrastructure projects, among others. Sponsoring, the other financing lever for sports associations This marketing lever is generally used by professional football clubs and by the FRMF. The sponsorship dynamic in football is created by the positive results of Moroccan football in recent years. Other sports, such as golf, athletics and equestrian, also attract sponsors. On the other hand, this sponsorship windfall does not reach other sporting disciplines for several reasons, namely poor governance and the absence of a large base that follows these disciplines. There are other sources of funding, notably TV rights for football. The Federation sold the TV rights for national football to SNRT for 133 million DH per year. Added to this are revenues from ticketing and the sale of sporting goods. The contribution of these last two levers remains weak, except for the Raja and WAC clubs which have a large base of supporters.
source: lematin.ma
