Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva has praised the Moroccan national football team’s performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, expressing delight at sharing the moments when the team shone at the tournament.
Georgieva made the comments during a visit to the Atlas Lions at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Mamoura in Rabat on Sunday June 18.
During her visit, the IMF official met the Moroccan national team’s coach Walid Regragui as well as several players from the U-23 squad.
Georgieva noted that “Morocco inspired the world at last year’s FIFA World Cup.”
“What a pleasure to meet Walid Regragui and his Atlas Lions in Rabat!” she remarked.
“The Moroccan team has shown us that with unity, hard work, and determination, no challenge is too great to overcome. That’s the spirit we want to see in Marrakech in October,” she added in a twitter post.
An annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund is set to take place on October 9-15 in Marrakech.
The meeting is set to be a “great chance to deepen our already strong partnership with the Moroccan authorities, and to hear local voices, as we prepare for our meetings,” Georgieva asserted.
The week-long meetings bring together central bank governors, finance ministers, academics, business leaders, parliamentarians, members of civil society organizations, and journalists from around the world.
Major issues including poverty eradication, inclusive economic growth, job creation, and climate change will also be debated.
For Georgieva, Morocco is the ideal country where such a meeting can be held, thanks to its known cultural diversity and rich history.