Lamine Yamal comes out of a historic season with FC Barcelona. Tripped to the key, dazzling performance, and here is the young winger propelled among the favorites for the next Ballon d'Or. Each feat of the player of Moroccan origin recalls in Morocco what could have been.
Faouzi Lekjaa does not revolve around the pot. “Yamal is a regret, necessarily”,
says the president of the Royal Moroccan Federation to the team. No pretense or facade diplomacy. The leader recognizes the sporting loss that this choice represents for Spain.
But far from being sorry, Lekjaa assumes this disappointment with philosophy. “It's a surprise of life”, he simply said. This franchise allows him to approach the rest of his reasoning without apparent bitterness.
The distinction between sports nationality and identity
The Moroccan president then developed an interesting theory. “We must differentiate between nationality as such and sports nationality”, he explains. For him, the choice of Yamal is “Sports project” and
“Ambition”. A career decision, in short.
Which does not erase anything according to Lekjaa: ” This does not in any way impact the “non-choisie 'origins by the player. And the manager to slide revealing information: “The name of Lamine Yamal, in real life, is Amine Jamal. »» A way of recalling the cultural anchoring of the Barcelona phenomenon.
Lamine Yamal: pride and regret, the nuanced confessions of the Moroccan president
Lamine Yamal, a model that remains Moroccan
Lekjaa refuses to consider Yamal as definitively “lost” for Morocco. “The more he prospered, the more he will give the example to young Moroccans, since he is Moroccan”, he insists. He evokes the family of the player who ” comes back to her frequently “ in Morocco.
The calculation is clever: Spain has talent on the ground, but Morocco retains the symbol. “The Moroccans are proud and will remain proud”, concludes the president. A way to transform frustration into shared pride.
A two -weight criticism, two measures
Behind this peaceful speech, Lekjaa slides a spade. “When another will choose to play for Morocco, I do not see why he would be the subject of controversy”, he launches.
The message is clear: when a binational chooses a European selection, its choice is generally respected. In the other sense, questions often fuse. The manager points to this disparity of treatment without dwelling.
A doctrine for the future
This media outing of Lekjaa exceeds the simple Yamal case. She draws a more mature approach to double nationalities in current football. By separating sporting ambition and cultural identity, the Moroccan president avoids the trap of passionate debates.
With Yamal serious candidate for the Ballon d'Or after his exceptional season, this strategy allows Morocco to keep a form of link with his future star. A victory in terms of image, even if the sports battle is lost.
