Morocco Joins IFAF as Member Nation; Unanimously Approved at IFAF General Assembly

“This is a great day for the development of American football in Morocco!”

Afew weeks ago on July 15th at its General Assembly in Kuwait, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has officially admitted the country of Morocco.

Proposed to the Executive Committee of the IFAF, the application of the National Association Marocaine de Football American (ANMFA) was approved unanimously by the 36 member countries represented at the General Assembly.

“This is a great day for the development of American football in Morocco,” spoke Ahmed Ben El Cadi, president of the ANMFA. “This awards more than two years of patient work and dedicated efforts of all those who work every day in the field. We look forward to continuing this work with our member associations and to encourage participation and access to sport.”

Afterwards, the president of the ANMFA was elected head of IFAF Africa which will allow Morocco to sit on the executive committee of the IFAF and contribute to the development of American football across the globe.

The General Assembly of the IFAF also approved the entry of Egypt, Qatar, Peru and Slovakia as new full member countries.

This recognition now opens the door to the Moroccan participation in 2015 World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. The Moroccan National Team will visit Egypt for a qualifying match to represent IFAF Africa, a movement that inspires the leader ANMFA.

“This will be a great celebration for the African and Arab American Football, our challenge now is to go to Cairo with the most competitive team possible. We call on all our partners to allow Morocco to shine in this game of skill and proudly represent the African continent next year in Sweden. “

The full team of IFAF elected chairpersons are listed here:

IFAF Africa: Ahmed Ben el Cadi, Morocco
IFAF Americas:  Richard MacLean, Canada
IFAF Asia: K.K. Park, Korea
IFAF Europe: Goran Nisavic, Serbia
IFAF Oceania: Michael Ryan, Australia

Learn more about the ANMFA on Facebook and on their website!

John McKeon is a former professional and collegiate American Football player and coach now living and working in New York. His goal is to spread news, information, and opinion on the global growth of the sport he loves.