False! Sports minister did not say Atlas Lions representing Morocco not Africa at World Cup

Claim: Morocco’s Minister of Sports says the Atlas Lions are at the World Cup to represent Morocco, not Africa

Source: Social media (Instagram, Facebook and X)

Verdict: False

Researched by Samuel Adjetey Adjei

Morocco’s 3 – 0 Round of 16 victory over Canada at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup made the Atlas Lions the only African team to qualify for the quarter-final stage. Their success sparked widespread celebration across the continent, with many football fans hailing Morocco at a point as Africa’s representative at the tournament.

However, amid the celebration of the Atlas Lions’ feat, a claim emerged on social media that Morocco’s Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Mohammad Saad Berrada, distanced the country’s national team from the rest of the continent. 

According to widely shared posts, the minister said: “Morocco is at the World Cup to represent Morocco, not Africa,” insisting that the national team competes to represent Morocco first, rather than Africa as a whole.

The claim has circulated across X, Facebook and Instagram, attracting significant engagement. One of the most viral posts, shared by the X account @Humanrights256, had amassed more than one million views, 2,400 comments, 1,700 reposts, 3,600 likes and 686 bookmarks at the time of publishing this report.

This report verifies whether Morocco’s Sports Minister indeed made the statement attributed to him.

Fact-check

GhanaFact’s checks found no credible news reports from either Moroccan, regional or international media indicating that Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Mohamed Saad Berrada, made the statement attributed to him. 

Searches across reputable news sources also yielded no interviews, speeches or official engagements in which the minister made the remarks circulating on social media.

Instead, GhanaFact found that the Moroccan government had issued an official statement (archived here) on its Facebook page dismissing the viral claim as false. 

The ministry said the statements attributed to the minister, including that “Morocco does not represent Africa,” “the national football team represents only Morocco, not Africa,” and “Morocco does not need Africa’s support,” were all fabricated.

The ministry stated that Mr. Berrada “categorically denies these claims and affirms that they are entirely false and unfounded.” 

It further stressed that “he has made no statement to any media outlet regarding this matter,” adding that the statements circulating online “are fabricated and in no way reflect either his position or the official position of the Kingdom of Morocco.”

Reaffirming Morocco’s relationship with the African continent, the ministry stated that “the Kingdom of Morocco is proud of its African identity”.

It added that the country’s historical, human, and cultural ties with other African nations remain “a fundamental pillar of Morocco’s policy” under the leadership of King Mohammed VI.

The ministry also urged media organisations and social media users to verify information before publishing or sharing it and warned that it reserves the right to take all appropriate measures against anyone who publishes false information or falsely attributes statements to him.

From the above, the claim that Morocco’s Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Mohamed Saad Berrada, said Morocco is at the World Cup to represent Morocco and not Africa is inaccurate.

Verdict: 

Therefore, the claim is false!

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