INTER CAMPUS MOROCCO: NERAZZURRI PRIDE

Casablanca – In the iconic film Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart recites the famous phrase “Play it again Sam” and that could easily be changed to “Play it again Said” as Said has been our historic coach since 2005 in Sidi Moumen on the edge of Casablanca where the Inter Campus project was born.

In the early days, the pitch was unmarked piece of ground by the huts that make up the last slum in Casablanca. On this piece of ground, groups of children would play without rules, chasing after the ball in a sense of pure fun while the coaches led by Said didn’t know exactly how to lead children of Inter Campus’ age while they yelled out using a vocabulary that wasn’t best suited for a social integration project. 12 years on, the whole project has moved on which is a source of pride and stirring emotions as the latest of many examples of how sport and football can have a huge social impact.

Now, there are 160 boys and girls divided into six groups and training takes place following the Inter Campus methodology, formulated to benefit the child’s character development. The children are no longer shouted at but hear positive words that help them to feel like a small Nerazzurri player. The project continues on an artificial pitch rather than a makeshift piece of land . It wasn’t because you need to be at San Siro to play football but thanks to the passion and dedication of the coaches who found a sponsor to finance the refurbishment through a micro-credit system.

A sort of small miracle with a hint of the Nerazzurri colours, the project continues to bring happiness to Sidi Moumen thanks to the passion of Said and his collaborators “Play it again Said” and for many years to come.

14.11.2017