Few coaches in Indian football have witnessed Morocco’s remarkable transformation as closely as NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali.
Having spent around six years in Moroccan football across various coaching and executive roles since 1999, Benali has seen first-hand how a nation once considered an outsider in world football steadily built itself into a global force. Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was widely celebrated, but Benali believes it was no accident.
Speaking to RevSportz, Benali explained that the country’s success was built on long-term planning, investment in infrastructure and a strong focus on youth development.
“Morocco worked a lot on infrastructure. They prepared training fields, stadiums and facilities not only for themselves but also to attract African teams to come and play here,” Benali said.
According to him, one of Morocco’s biggest strengths was its ability to identify and attract players of Moroccan origin from across the world.
“They gave a lot of importance to young players living abroad. The scouting was amazing. If you look at the national team now, not many players were actually born or developed in Morocco. Most came through the diaspora system.”
Benali was particularly impressed by the football infrastructure he witnessed during his recent visit.
“The last three days I was in two new stadiums. It’s amazing, unbelievable. You can smell football everywhere. If you want to grow, you need to start from the bottom, and the bottom is infrastructure.”
Drawing comparisons with India, he pointed out that infrastructure remains one of the biggest challenges.
“In India, we complain about many things, but the reality is that there are problems with stadiums. Most clubs don’t have their own stadiums. Here every club has its own stadium.”
Hydration Breaks Are Helping The Game
The ongoing FIFA World Cup has seen the introduction of three-minute hydration breaks due to extreme weather conditions, a move that has sparked considerable debate.
Benali, however, sees only positives.
“For me the hydration breaks are positive. First, for the health of the players. Second, it gives coaches time to correct things and make adjustments.”
He also pointed out that broadcasters and organisers benefit from the stoppages.
“Everybody wins. The players recover, coaches can communicate and television gets additional advertising opportunities.”
Benali believes the current timing of the breaks works well.
“I like that they happen after 25 minutes. You still have enough time left in the half to influence the game.”
India Must Focus On The Basics
With the FIFA World Cup now expanded to 48 teams, the possibility of India qualifying has become a frequent topic of discussion.
Benali believes qualification is possible, but only if Indian football focuses on long-term development rather than short-term gains.
“Before talking about qualifying for the World Cup, we need to identify India’s strengths and weaknesses and work on them.”
He stressed that clubs, coaches and administrators must work towards a common objective.
“The aim should be the same for everyone — making India as strong as possible in football.”
Asked directly whether India can qualify for a 48-team World Cup, Benali was clear.
“Yes, I think it is doable.”
However, he cautioned against becoming obsessed with rankings and immediate results.
“The objective shouldn’t be moving from 113th (138th) to 80th in the FIFA rankings overnight. The objective is to build a strong team that can compete.”
According to Benali, India must seek tougher opposition even if defeats follow initially.
“If you want to be among the best, you have to play against the best. Even if you lose heavily in the beginning, that experience is important.”
Spain Can Still Bounce Back
Spain’s shock opening game against Cape Verde, a draw, has been one of the biggest talking points of the tournament. Yet, Benali remains confident about La Roja’s chances.
“Spain always start tournaments badly. When they won the World Cup in 2010, they lost their first game against Switzerland.”
He believes Spain often respond better when under pressure.
“We cannot go into tournaments thinking we have already won them. Spain needs that pressure.”
Benali still considers Spain one of the favourites.
“They are still a big contender. They have great players and they are the European champions. Everything is still to play for.”
Why OCI Players Could Help India
Benali also weighed in on the growing discussion surrounding Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) and players of Indian origin.
Using Morocco’s successful model as an example, he believes India should make full use of its global diaspora.
“It’s very important. Everywhere in the world countries are using players who have parents or grandparents from that nation.”
He pointed to examples such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, France, England and Canada.
“India should take advantage of that because there are Indians all over the world and there are good players playing at a high level.”
According to Benali, attracting those players could strengthen Indian football considerably, provided the national team creates an environment that encourages them to commit.
“India needs to find a way to attract them and make them feel part of the project.”
For Benali, Morocco’s rise is proof that sustained investment, infrastructure and smart talent identification can change a nation’s footballing fortunes. And if India is willing to follow a similar path, he believes the dream of playing at a FIFA World Cup may not be as distant as it once seemed.
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