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Er-Rmichi: Playing at the Olympics would be historic for Morocco
Published
۷ Mar 2024
Khadija Er-Rmichi discusses her FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign, Olympic dreams and the impact of Reynald Pedros and Jorge Vilda.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 03: Khadija Er-Rmichi and Fatima Tagnaout of Morocco celebrate advancing to the knock out stage after the 1-0 victory in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Morocco and Colombia at Perth Rectangular Stadium on August 03, 2023 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Khadija Er-Rmichi has spoken to FIFA
She discusses Morocco’s recent success and the importance of Olympic qualification
Keeper highlights Reynald Pedros’ and Jorge Vilda’s impact on Moroccan football
The development of the football scene in Morocco over the past five years has been seismic, with the women’s game proving no exception.
The Atlas Lionesses reached the final of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and qualified for a maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup when they travelled to Australia & New Zealand 2023, turning heads as they won two of their group-stage games to reach the Round of 16.
Now, they are aiming to qualify for this year’s Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in Paris, having beaten Tunisia to reach the final round of CAF qualifying.
Their goalkeeper, Khadija Er-Rmichi, spoke to FIFA about the reasons for Morocco’s recent successes, what they hope to achieve next and the qualities of former coach Reynald Pedros and his successor Jorge Vilda.
When you first started playing, did you think you could achieve as much success as you have?
When I was young, my dream was to go as far as possible in football, because I absolutely love the sport. I trained a lot to become the best player I could. Women’s football wasn’t very popular when I was a child, so it was hard for me when I was starting out, but I clung on to my dream, worked hard and stayed patient until I achieved what I wanted, thank God! Qualifying for the World Cup was the best moment I’ve ever had on the pitch. I can’t even describe how that felt.
You played a big role in Morocco’s qualification for the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup. What did you personally gain from that experience?
I gained a lot from my experience at the World Cup. I thank God for giving me that opportunity to learn more about different styles of football around the world because it really enhanced the way I think about the game. Although we’d hoped to go further than the Round of 16, we were satisfied with what we achieved, and I think we demonstrated how good Moroccan football is.