Your dad is not wrong. I even have written on it once.
Morocco shows up as MAR on scoreboards because FIFA's country codes do not always come from the English name.
A lot of them come from French, which is the working language FIFA has used since it was founded in Paris in 1904. Morocco in French is Le Maroc. First three letters: MAR.
And Morocco is not alone. This happens more than people realise.
Germany is GER, which tracks in English. But then you get to Ivory Coast, which shows up as CIV, from Côte d'Ivoire. Algeria is ALG from Algérie. Haiti is HAI from Haïti. Switzerland is SUI from Suisse. Spain is ESP from España. Iran appears as IRN.
The pattern runs across the entire scoreboards.Some countries are also coded based on whatever their language is.
FIFA built its codes in an era when French dominated international administration, and colonial history shaped which language a country's name was recorded in first.
That legacy is still sitting quietly on every scoreboard at this World Cup.
I hope you have learned something today.
My name is Ajoje. I am a FIFA Licensed Agent and International Sports Lawyer. I write on the Law and Business of Football, a lot. Repost and Follow if you want to read more posts like this.
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A woman who doesn’t spend her money on you doesn’t love you.
A woman who doesn’t support your financial struggles doesn’t love you.
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I learnt beadmaking during my NYSC days in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
So when I got back home after my service year, I started making bead bags, flower pots and matted bags for sale alongside applying for jobs.
For context, at the time, I was already a chartered accountant with a first-class degree in accounting.
My mum would tell her friends and colleagues about my little business, and they would place orders, and I would stay up all night making those pieces for them.
Then one day, something happened.
My mum got back from work, and she said, ‘Ore, one of my friends placed an order for a bead purse; please help me make it for her’
My dad, who was also there, got instantly furious, and he said: ‘This is not my vision for her life, stop bringing her these orders, I want her to focus on getting good job opportunities’.
That was a reset moment for my mum and me. We just quietly dispersed, and it was the last order my mum ever brought me 🤣
I then refocused my time and energy on the aptitude tests I kept failing, began passing them, and landed a bank role and later a PwC role to kick-start my career.
f you truly want to compare cultures and civilisations, look no further than Qatari hospitality vs American 'hospitality' during the World Cup.
Qatar welcomed the world with open arms and dignity.
America? Humiliated the Iranian team, banned a Somali referee, and let Hillbilly officers rough up Egyptian coaches and players.
This is the behaviour of a declining civilisation: disrespectful, dishonourable, and utterly classless hosts.
Cape Verde is the lesson: a tiny African island nation nearly knocked out Argentina.
Africa was never short of talent only opportunity.
For decades, CAF had 54 nations but just 5 World Cup slots while UEFA had 13–16. In 2026, Africa gets 10 slots and 9/10 reach the knockouts.
Fair access changes everything.
Out of 9 African teams that qualified for the Round of 32, only Egypt and Morocco are left.
Out of the 7 that got eliminated, only Cape Verde and DR Congo fought but were beaten by the greatest of all time and Harry Kane.
Senegal showed good signs but disappointed us at the end, I blame their coach for this though.
Algeria, subpar
Ghana, WORST of the bunch
South Africa, I don't care
Ivory Coast, imposter syndrome, especially when you listen to the team captain, Kessie, talking about how Norway is more experienced, meanwhile, 80% of Norway's players weren't even born when they played the last world cup, and none of them have played in a major tournament for their country. Disgraceful.