If the Grand Stade de Tangier comes out with an honorable rating, even surpassing certain Spanish stadiums, the hotel offer and public transport received evaluations deemed insufficient. The report gives a rating of 4.0 to the Ibn Battouta stadium, compared to only 2.2 for hotels and 2.6 for transport, writes Al3omk. FIFA is concerned about the capacity of Tangier, but also Zaragoza and San Sebastian, to improve their public transport to meet the demands of a global event like the World Cup.
The lack of hotel rooms is also a concern. Tangier, Fez, San Sebastian and Zaragoza could struggle to accommodate the many expected supporters.
To read: Tangier, an open-air trash bin
Faced with this observation, reactions were not long in coming. Mohamed Saïd Ahrouch, vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of the Tangier region, disputes FIFA’s assessment, deeming it “not precise”. He highlights the projects currently under development which, according to him, will improve the situation in the next five years.
-For Mr. Ahrouch, the current difficulties are the legacy of “mistakes made by former officials” and a lack of planning. It calls for an update of town planning and traffic plans, and a simplification of administrative procedures for development projects.
On the side of civil society, Mohamed Harraq, associative actor, welcomes the FIFA report, which he considers “fair and objective”. For him, the problem comes from a too narrow vision of those in charge, who focused on the stadium to the detriment of the city as a whole.
Mr. Harraq denounces the presence of waste and garbage near the stadium, and pleads for a radical transformation of the city. It calls for prioritizing people and sustainable development, and does not exclude the need to demolish certain installations to rebuild better.
