Morocco’s calendar for the international window changed late. Ghana’s football federation wrote to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) to pull out of the October 4 friendly at the Grand Stade de Tanger, citing “internal reasons” and offering no further detail. Mali took the vacant slot.
The match was set for 6 p.m. on Sunday. Mali had its own gap to fill: a friendly against Tunisia on October 3 in Radès was cancelled after the Tunisian federation consulted head coach Mouin Chaâbani and agreed the call with the Malian federation. No other reasons were given. Tunisia had just drawn 1-1 with Uganda on September 24 and 2-2 with Botswana four days later in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Two sides in early qualifying form
Both teams arrived with their campaigns under way. Morocco beat Gabon 2-0 in Rabat on September 25, then won 2-0 in Bloemfontein against Lesotho on September 29. That second game was 1-0 at half-time, and Morocco had six corners to Lesotho’s five.
Mali opened with a 3-1 win over Cape Verde. Its next qualifier, against Liberia on September 29, was a Round 2 fixture like Morocco’s. One listing put the Liberia result at 1-0 to Mali, though the Malian federation’s schedule, as relayed by Morocco World News, pointed to a goalless draw.
The two sides sat far apart in the table positions shown for the fixture, Morocco fifth and Mali 47th. For the Atlas Lions, the Tangier game was a further international test before the window closed.
Sources
- Morocco Replace Ghana With Mali for October 4 Friendly in Tangier
- Morocco vs Mali Head-to-Head Record, Live Score & Streaming – Camel Live
