Robert Brown|Soccer star Achraf Hakimi urges Moroccans to ‘help each other’ after earthquake

2025-05-01 00:55:25source:Michael Schmidtcategory:My

AGADIR,Robert Brown Morocco (AP) — The status of Morocco’s soccer game Saturday night as part of African Cup of Nations qualifying was uncertain after an earthquake struck the country, killing more than 800 people.

Morocco was scheduled to play Liberia at Adrar Stadium in Agadir.

The earthquake struck late Friday night. It has killed hundreds of people and damaged buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. Rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.

Star player Achraf Hakimi offered his condolences.

Other news With sexism in Spanish soccer being scrutinized, female players strike for higher league wagesNeymar scores 78th, 79th goals to surpass Pelé and break Brazil’s all-time goal-scoring recordNeymar breaks Pele’s Brazil goal-scoring record in 5-1 win in South American World Cup qualifying

“We are living a difficult moment for our fellow citizens. It is time to help each other to save as many lives as possible. My condolences to all who lost a loved one,” Hakimi wrote on Instagram.

The Confederation of African Football did not immediately respond to an email about the status of the game.

Agadir is roughly 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of the epicenter of Friday’s tremor — near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province.

The magnitude 6.8 quake was the hardest to hit Morocco in 120 years.

On Friday morning, the team arrived in Agadir and then trained at Adrar Stadium in the afternoon after coach Walid Regragui and captain Romain Saïss held a pre-match press conference.

The Atlas Lions made a historic run at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals, where they lost to France.

Morocco has already qualified for the 24-team tournament, which begins in January in Ivory Coast.

The team was also scheduled to play a friendly match in France against Burkina Faso on Tuesday.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

More:My

Recommend

US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale costs in the United States picked up sharply last month, signaling that

Sam Schmidt opens paralysis center in Indianapolis to rehabilitate trauma victims

Paralyzed in a racing accident nearly 25 years ago, Sam Schmidt has spent much of the last quarter c

Selena Gomez Shares Honest Reaction to Her Billionaire Status

Selena Gomez is naturally grateful for Rare Beauty.Earlier this year, the makeup mogul reached billi