Photo of Mohammad Saad Berrad, Morocco’s Sports Minister/
Claim:A viral social media post claims that Morocco’s Minister of Sports, Mohammed Saad Berrada, said Morocco is participating in the 2026 <a href="https://absafricatv.com/keralas-heart-beats-for-argentina-in-thrilling-fifa-world-cup-final-showdown/" title="Kerala's Heart Beats for Argentina in Thrilling FIFA World Cup Final Showdown”>FIFA World Cup to represent only Morocco, not Africa.
Verdict: False. There is no credible evidence that Morocco’s Minister of Sports, Mohammad Saad Berrada, made the statement attributed to him. The claim originated on social media and lacks support from any reliable source.
Full Text
A claim circulating widely on Facebook and other social media platforms alleges that Morocco’s Minister of Sports, Mohammad Saad Berrada, distanced his country from the rest of Africa by saying that Morocco is competing in the FIFA World Cup solely to represent Morocco, not Africa
The post reads, “Morocco Sports Minister, Mohammad Saad Berrada, said Morocco is at the World Cup to represent Morocco, not Africa. In his words, the national team competes to represent Morocco first, not Africa as a whole.”
The claim has generated significant engagement across multiple accounts. You can read similar posts here, here, here, and here.
Given the potential of such claims to fuel regional divisions and spread misinformation, DUBAWA investigated their authenticity.
Verification
To verify the claim, DUBAWA conducted a comprehensive review of various sports news sites to determine if such allegations have been reported using different combinations of the alleged quotation and the minister’s name.
However, DUBAWA found no such reports from major outlets, including Reuters, BBC Sport,ESPN, Al Jazeera,AFP, Hespress, and Morocco World News.
No credible media outlets have reported on the viral claims, which are actively covering football matters daily.
Subsequently, DUBAWA came across a statement 8th July,dismissing the allegations attributed to Mohammad Saad Berrada as false, stating that he has not spoken publicly to any media
Similarly, no statement containing the alleged remarks appears on official Moroccan government platforms or verified social media accounts associated with the Ministry responsible for sports.
Conclusion
DUBAWA found no credible evidence that Morocco’s Sports Minister, Mohammad Saad Berrada, stated that Morocco is participating in the FIFA World Cup to represent only Morocco, not Africa.
No reputable news organisation has reported the alleged statement, and no official government record supports it.
