FEEL THE GAME IN THE MAGIC LAND OF MOROCCO !

N°2

J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 4NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER

Morocco's corporate world supports Morocco 2010

N E W S N E W S N E W S N E W S

Madjer, Rui Costa, Cafú, Hasselbaink, Inzaghi andInamoto support Morocco 2010

Major football stars such as Cafu, Rui Costa, Hasselbaink, Inamoto, Inzaghiand former international star Madjer of Algeria support Morocco's bid tobecome the first African country to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Rabah Madjer, the former star of Algeria's national team and FC Porto, theAfrican player of the century (Union of African Players award) and the AfricanBallon d’Or in 1987, declared: “I have great respect for our Moroccan brothers.This country is a first-class tourist destination offering all the guarantees necessaryfor hosting a marvellous World Cup.”

The Portuguese player of AC Milan, Rui Costa, spoke favorably about theproximity of Morocco to Portugal and Europe, saying: “It would be wonderfulfor my fellow nationals to be able to attend the World Cup in person.”

Chelsea’s Dutch player, Jimmy Hasselbaink, who is very familiar with Morocco,added that the enthusiasm of Moroccans for football means an exceptionalatmosphere is guaranteed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. “Morocco reallydeserves this World Cup,” he concluded.

The international Japanese player Junichi Inamoto, who plays for the Fulhamteam in England, gave his support to Morocco, declaring that this country wasone of his favorite vacation spots: “I am certain they will organize a marvellous,friendly and safe World Cup.”

Brazilian world champions Cafu and Leonardo are also enthusiastic supportersof Morocco's bid.

Further football notables who support Morocco 2010 include Dario Simic(Croatia and AC Milan), Louis Saha (France and Fulham), and Pepe Guardiola(Spain and Al Ahly).

M O R O C C O 2 0 1 0 T E A M

Lamia Boutaleb Qadiri belongs in the newgeneration of young and talented managers whosecompetency and dynamism are indicative of theNew Morocco.

After completing her studies (Advanced CommercialStudies Degree at Lausanne and MBA at Wharton),Lamia Boutaleb Qadiri joined the World Bank.From her experience at the bank, she gained deepknowledge of the economic realities of Africa,where she completed several important missions.

Upon returning to Morocco, she was hired byfinancial group Wafa where she heads “WafaTrust”, one of the nation’s largest investment banks.

Saad Kettani, President of Morocco 2010, calledupon this brilliant woman to manage the Financeand Sponsorship division of the Morocco BidCommittee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

P r o f i l e

L a m i a B o u t a l e b Q a d i r i

Morocco 2010Partner of urbanFootball Matches

EIn cooperation with sports associationsand the local authorities, Morocco 2010has sponsored some one hundredneighborhood football matchesthroughout the country over the pastfew months. Upwards of 15,000 youngpeople took part in these matches.

In Morocco, a country where football iswidespread, the tradition of urbanmatches is firmly established in localcommunities and large crowds attendthese often sharply disputed games.This year, the local neighborhoodassociations organizing these eventswanted to take advantage of these effortsto mobilize young people aroundMorocco's bid.

It is the pleasure and love of football thatmotivates youth to take part in suchmatches where the prizes awarded areoften nothing more than symbolic.However, such matches were closelymonitored by thousands of spectators,including some famous Moroccanfootballers such as Bassir, Krimou,Haddaoui and Allali.

Since the launch of the campaign in support ofMorocco's bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup™,the nation's largest corporations have joined in acommon effort to boost this national project.

The commitment to Morocco 2010 by these largeorganizations, including the Moroccan subsidiariesof some major multinationals such as Colgate-Palmolive, Nestlé and McDonald's, has made itpossible to enhance the financial credibility ofMorocco's bid.

Some partners of Morocco 2010 decided to showtheir commitment to the country's bid in a veryoriginal fashion. For instance, Morocco's Post Office

will issue postal stamps andstamped envelopes in support ofMorocco 2010. Furthermore, thenational flag carrier, Royal AirMaroc, will project an in-flightpromotional film presenting theMoroccan bid.

Several major consumer brandshave already begun to place theMorocco 2010 logo on theirpackaging to underscore theirsupport for Morocco's bid for the2010 FIFA World Cup™.

C o n t a c t sTelephone : +212 (0)22 50 93 80Fax : +212 (0)22 97 55 91Email : contact@morocco-2010.orgWeb : www.morocco-2010.orgAddress : Zenith Millenium – Immeuble N°1 – Lot. Attaoufik Sidi Maârouf – 20 650 Casablanca - Morocco

P h o t o s C r e d i t sCover : © O.N.M.TFootball : © Sportis, © BadriNews : © Teuler, © O.N.M.T, © Morocco 2010Stadiums : © DEP, © Morocco 2010Fez : © O.N.M.T, © TeulerOther : © Morocco 2010, © O.N.M.T

Marrakech entices Tour Operatorsfrom the U.SM. Richard Copland, President of the American Society ofTravel Agents announced that Marrakech has been chosento welcome the association's annual congress in 2005.More than 6,000 people will take part in this importantCongress.

Thanks to its magnificent hotels and impressive ConventionCenter (Palais des Congrès) Marrakech hosts internationalconferences on a regular basis.

If Morocco is selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™,Marrakech is proposed as the home of the FIFA Congress,headquarters, and site of the Opening Ceremonies andOpening Match.

New Version of the Morocco 2010Internet SiteIn early 2004 Morocco 2010 inaugurated a new versionof its Internet site. This site, which is much more completeand user-friendly than the former one, will enable anyoneinterested in Morocco's bid to find out the principal facetsof the technical bid.

One regularly updated column entitled “News” will provideperiodic information on what is happening with the selectionprocess for the choice of the country slated to host the 2010FIFA World Cup™.

Anyone who wishes to support Morocco's bid can do soin the visitor's log.

The site was inaugurated in French and English. The Arabicand Spanish versions are currently being completed.

Of f icial websi te address for Morocco 2010:http:///www.morocco-2010.org

Huge Success for Hassan II Golf TrophyFrom 9 to14 December 2003, the magnificent fairways ofthe Royal Golf Dar Es-Salam in Rabat hosted the 32ndedition of the Hassan II Golf Trophy. Prominent world golferscompeted for the Trophy, finally won by Spain's SantiagoLuna.

The Royal Golf Dar Es-Salam course, designed by RobertTrent Jones, is considered one of the world's most beautiful.Morocco also offers several other golfing venues in all thenation’s major cities, making it a top ranking place forpractice of this sport.

The attendees to 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will most certainlyappreciate, between matches, being able to relax on acourse standing right in the middle of the desert or set offby the rippling waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

F A C T S A N D F I G U R E SN E W S N E W S N E W S N E W S

Lisbon entranced by the Magic ofMorocco

In connection with the Final Draw for UEFA Euro 2004 inLisbon, Morocco 2010 staged a gala in the sumptuoussurroundings of Casa Alantejo, a 17th century jewel takingits inspiration from Arabo-Andalusian architecture. Entitled“Magic of Morocco,” this event was attended by severalpersonalities in the football and media world.

To underscore the support of the Government of Moroccofor the country's bid, Morocco's Minister of Tourism,M. Diouri, as well as Ms. Chekrouni, delegated Ministerfor Expatriate Nationals, attended this great celebration.

M. Douiri noted that the new Morocco, whose infrastructureshave seen extraordinary development since the launchingin 2001 of “Vision 2010,” is ready to organize the 2010FIFA World Cup™.

More than anything else this event was an occasion tocelebrate the magic and wealth of Moroccan culture. Aftertasting the wonders of Moroccan cooking, the audiencewas offered a magnificent fashion show by professionalmodels donned in superb traditional Caftans made of goldand silver threads. Celebrated Gnaoua musicians ofEssaouira provided entertainment.

At the end of the evening at a press conference, Mr. MichelPlatini declared, “The World Cup above all means theneed to convince the 24 voting members of FIFA," addingthat “the issue now at hand is where would the public liketo see the World Cup held. Morocco is the country in thebest position to be awarded this event.” His fellowcountryman and President of the French Football Federation,Mr. Claude Simonet, expressed his support for Morocco'sbid: “My heart and eyes are looking in the directionof Morocco.”

Morocco's experience in the field of security hasproven to be a determining factor in selecting thecountry for hosting major international events anda crucial element ensuring their ultimate success.Thanks to well-grounded experience and extensiveknow-how, Morocco's security forces enjoy anexcellent international reputation, and countlesstimes, its services have been asked to participatein activities far beyond the country's nationalborders.

For many years, Morocco has been regularlyselected to host some of the world's most prominentpolitical, economic, cultural and sports events suchas the Mediterranean Games, the Pan Arab Games,the Francophone Games, the African Nations Cup(Junior and Senior), the summits of Arab and

Muslim states, the World Economic Summit andthe signing of the GATT Agreement.

The Moroccan security services have prepared aninitial Operational Security Concept for the 2010FIFA World Cup™. This concept will serve as abasis for developing a final in-depth package.International experts with great experience indesigning security schemes for international sportsevents participated in the review process inconnection with the dif ferent schemes.

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Morocco is in aposition to offer a friendly and safe environmentfor visitors looking forward to enjoy the spectacleafforded by the world's 32 best football teams.

S e c u r i t y

H e a l t hMorocco's health infrastructure is prepared to handle the 2010 FIFA World Cup™at the very highest standards. Further, an infrastructure development programinitiated by the government continues to upgrade the health system throughoutthe country.

In addition to its medical infrastructures, Morocco offers a healthy environmentto visitors and tourists, thanks to the very low incidence of the principal contagiousdiseases currently affecting Africa in the form of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

In collaboration with one of the best international experts in event medical planning(FIFA Women’s World Cup, Olympic Games, and the U.S. Super Bowl), Moroccohas developed a health concept for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The utmostattention was given to the creation of a system designed to meet all requirementsconnected with health issues for all participants, making it possible to ensure aswift turnaround in all emergency situations.

The system set up by Morocco 2010 is founded on the juxtaposition of threelevels of medical assistance:

1. Venue-specific Medical Care

a. Stadium Medical Care: These centers shall meet the needs for immediatehealth care for all participants inside and in the vicinity of the stadiums.

b. Official Venue Medical Care. These are designed to meet the health carerequirements of participants at the other official World Cup sites:

• FIFA General Headquarters and hotels• Hotels of participant teams• Training grounds for participating teams• Main Media Center

2. Official Hospitals: Situated in the vicinity of the stadiums, these hospitals havebeen selected for the excellence of their facilities and medical staffs.

3. National Medical Centers of Excellence: these hospitals enjoy a national statureand have been selected to cover specific specialities.

T H E S T A D I U M S

The construction works of the new Stade d’Agadir werelaunched on December 19th. At its completion inDecember 2007, the stadium will feature a grosscapacity of 45,000 seats, of which 10,200 are undercover, including all FIFA delegation and media seating.The striking design of Stade d’Agadir will create alandmark in one of the outstanding tourist destinationsin Morocco, only 10 minutes from the resort areas atthe coast. With the Stade de Marrakech and the Stadede Tanger, it is the third stadium currently underconstruction in the country.

Morocco 2010 will organize the 2010 FIFA WorldCup™ with nine stadiums. Three stadiums exist today:Mohammed V in Casablanca, Moulay Abdallah inRabat and Complexe sportif de Fès. If the country isselected to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, it will onlyneed to build three additional stadiums to meet all itsorganizational needs.

Launch of Construction of the new Staded’Agadir

V E N U E S

Idriss II founded the City of Fez in 808. The new capital of theIdrisside dynasty sat on a perfect spot between the mountainsand on the banks of a rushing river (Wadi Fez).

ln 818, several hundred Muslim families settled on the rightbank of Wadi Fez, after having been expelled from Andalusia.Seven years later, 300 Kerouan families established their homeson the opposite bank. The Andalousian Arabs brought withthem their art and the experience of a civilization at the verypeak of its glory.

The Kerouan people established the imposing and splendidEl Qaraouiyîn mosque with its scintillating roof of emerald tilesin 857. It is the oldest centre of learning in the western world,predating even Oxford and the Sorbonne, and now one of themain intellectual centres of North Africa.

Although the Almohad and the Almoravid dynasties transferredtheir capital to Marrakech, Fez never stopped playing a majorcultural and spiritual role. The Merinids made Fez their capitalin 1248, and the city regained the former status it had lostunder the Almohads and Almoravids in favor of Marrakech.

After the fall of Granada in 1492, marking the end of the"Reconquista" of Andalusia, Fez became the principal heiressof hispano-moroccan civilization and remained, until the adventof the protectorate, the largest art metropolis of the MoslemWest.

More than the people of any other Moroccan city, the Fassis(people of Fez) have preserved the aspects of medieval Islamsociety, maintaining their souqs, mosques and medersas, theircorporative organizations, and their artisanal activities.

Each year, Fez hosts the world famous “Sacred Music Festival.”The festival has rapidly become one the most important culturalevents in the world and a meeting point for all the people whobelieve in inter-religious tolerance and understanding. Thus,Fez continues to act as Morocco's spiritual capital and embodiesMorocco’s spirit of tolerance.

F e z

Fez in figuresPopulation 1 053 000

Altitude above sea level (m) 300

Average monthly temperature (C°) June 21July 26

Number of rainy days with rainfall June 2of more than 5mm July 0

Number of beds in registered hotels Today 5 7552010 9 508

Total number of beds availablein Fez by 2010 17 600

Total number of beds availableat less than 75 km 30 800

Complexe Sportif de Fès

The construction of the Complexe Sportif de Fèswas completed in 2002. It combines bothmodern convenience and classic Moroccanstyling to create a perfect football environment.A further modernization program will bring thetotal seating to 45,000 for the 2010 FIFA WorldCup™.

Name Stade d’Agadir

Total number of seats 45,000

Seats under cover 10,246

VIP seats 500

Media representatives 1,125

Places for disabled people 266

Dimensions of the playing surface Length : 105 m - Width : 68 m

Type of playing surface Natural grass

Distance from airport 25 km

Distance from town center 5.5 km

Agadir is one of Morocco’s top destinations

The Stade of Agadir, at its completion in December 2007

891,400 m3 of earthworks

51,200 m3 of concrete

3,500 tons of concrete reinforcing steel

4,700 m3 of steel cover

3 giant cranes positions

Facts and figures

The excavation works commenced on December 24th

Total capacity 45,000

Date of construction 2002

Upgrading for 2010 July 2005 – December 2007

Distance from airport 15 km

Distance from city center 10 km

M O R O C C O , L A N D O F F O O T B A L L

History of Moroccan Football

1945 - 1956: THE ‘‘PERLE NOIRE’’ ERA

Renowned by the end of a memorable game betweenMorocco and France (4-2) on April 12th, 1937,Larbi Ben Barek was the first Moroccan player toshine beyond his country’s borders. In 1939, hejoined the Olympique Marseille and straight awayjoined the French team. After World War II, BenBarek returned to European stadiums and hishundreds of thousands of fans. Several clubs (StadeFrançais, Atletico Madrid, Olympique de Marseille)and titles later, he skilfully ended his internationalcareer by outshining the German world championsin Hanover at the age of 40.

Thanks to Larbi Ben Barek and other football masterssuch as Abderrahmane Mahjoub, nicknamed the“Prince of the Park,” and Hassan Akesbi, Moroccanfootball was exported and became more competitive.

Moroccan football totally prevailed in the NorthAfrican, winning10 international titles between 1945and 1956 and widely allowing for a comparisonwith professional European clubs. In 1950, Moroccobeat the Spanish champions by scoring two goalsto none, whereas the prominent Wydad AthleticClub, which had previously defeated all its regionalopponents, fell in the 1/16th Final of the 1956France Cup against AS Saint-Etienne and RachidMekhloufi (2-1 a.p).

Morocco owes such competitiveness both to its playersand to several French, Yugoslavian and Hungariancoaches, who helped Moroccan footballers to exudetheir skills against brilliant teams from around theworld: Lokomotiv Zagreb, Atletico Madrid, Bohemiansof Prague, and in 1956, the spectacular team ofHonved of Budapest and its great soloist, FerencPuskas.

Famous Moroccan FootballFirsts

First African country to qualifyfor a FIFA World Cup

In 1970, Morocco became the first African nation toqualify for the final stage of the FIFA World Cup™.Though drawing once and losing twice, the Atlas Lionsearned tremendous respect after leading for 70 minutesagainst the German team of Franz Beckenbauer andGerd Muller, before finally losing, 2-1.

Next month :1960-1976, global recognition

Ben Barek, the “Perle Noire”

Morocco 1970 Just Fontaine Ben Barek and Ferenc Puskas