Nicknamed Moul Lkoura, meaning the owner of the ball, Ahmed Faras achieved iconic status in Morocco. The footballer was a hero to the people, a source of pride and national unity.
Across Morocco he is held in the highest regard for both his technical skills on the field and his character. With his passing at the age of 78, many have highlighted his humility, respect, kindness and modesty. His sense of patriotism towards Morocco was a beacon for decades, long after his playing days ended. Ahmed Faras football trading card in 1970. Panini/Wikimedia Commons
Faras also had another nickname: the Lion of the Atlas. He was a much-loved captain of the Atlas Lions, the national football team. He was crowned African Footballer of the Year in 1975. In 2006, he was selected by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) as one of the best 200 African football players of the last 50 years, based on a poll.
As a scholar of Moroccan football and politics, for me the passing of Faras, like that of Dolmy (Hassan) d’Amcharrat and other football greats, marks a boundary between an unprofitable amateur sport serving the homeland and a sport today shaped by the market economy.
Who was Ahmed Faras?
Hadj Ahmed Faras, born on 7 December 1946, prioritised values over money. Proof of this was his refusal of an offer in 1973 to join the ranks of leading European team Real Madrid.
Born and raised in a modest home in Laalya in the city of Mohammedia on the west coast of Morocco, the community of Fdala (as the city was once known) will never forget that Faras chose instead to put his talent at the service of Sporting Club Chabab Mohammedia.
This was his hometown club, where he began his career in 1965 and where he ended it in 1982. Faras was an all-round athlete. If his star shone in football, he was also passionate about basketball, handball, volleyball and long jump.
But it was football that earned him his childhood nickname, “the left-hander”, because of the elegance with which he handled the ball with his left foot.
Playing in neighbourhood teams at school, he followed Moroccan football closely. This was the era of players like Hassan Akesbi, Abderrahmane Ben Mahjoub and Larbi Ben Mbarek. Not satisfied with the level of his games, he joined a youth centre funded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports to formalise his football passion. As his matches multiplied, he became better and better known.
In 1963 he was approached by Ittihad Mohammedia and while he was still thinking about the offer to join their ranks, he was approached by rival club Chabab Mohammedia. They were willing to promote him directly to the first team without going through the junior team. He was never satisfied with just team training and also trained alone on a regular basis.
Career highlights
His great technical qualities, his magical left foot, his tactical intelligence, his wisdom and calm earned him an exemplary career. A versatile player who could play in almost any position, he shone as a centre-forward and striker.
In 1970 he was a member of the first Moroccan national team to qualify for the Fifa Men’s Football World Cup, in Mexico. He would score two goals, ensuring that Morocco qualified for the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He went on to score goals in those Olympics, six in the various editions of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament (Afcon) and a further six in later World Cup qualification matches.
Crowned the best African player of 1975, he captained the team that lifted the Afcon trophy for Morocco in 1976 in Ethiopia. He was named the best player of the tournament.
Faras was the top scorer of the national football championship in 1969 and 1973. He played 94 matches for the national team between 1966 and 1979, during which he scored 36 goals, making him the sacred top scorer. He won the SCCM’s only Moroccan championship title in 1980, two Throne Cup titles in 1972 and 1975, the Super Cup in 1975, and the Maghrebian Club Cup in 1975.
Character
Despite all these impressive numbers, Faras was never known to brag – or even speak – about his exploits on the field. He went out of his way to always be respectful and never declined an invitation to serve Morocco’s football community. Like his parents, he was a family man who lived a modest life. Faras couldn’t stand being away from Mohammedia and felt immense joy returning home after touring.
His patriotic nature was often on display, nowhere more than the 1976 Afcon in Ethiopia, where he played despite having typhoid fever. He was known for reminding his teammates that wearing the national jersey is a great responsibility. That the team had to live up to the expectations of the king and the Moroccan people.
As captain, he spared no effort to motivate young players and help them integrate into the national team and play with honour.
Because of these qualities, Ahmed Faras became a national treasure, an incarnation of noble sports values. A sure sign was how respected he was by referees.
Moul Lkoura passed away on 16 July, as Moroccans were hoping he would attend the Women’s Africa Cup of nations proceedings being hosted by Morocco. They were hoping he could witness Morocco lifting an Afcon title for the first time since he did in 1976.
Abderrahim Rharib does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
By Abderrahim Rharib, Teacher-Researcher of Sports Policy, Université Hassan II Casablanca – AUF
