Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, visited the residence of the Moroccan national team “Atlas Lions” at Pingree School in New Jersey.
The visit comes as part of the official support for the team just one day before their opening match in the 2026 World Cup against Brazil at MetLife Stadium.
Lekjaa met with the players and the technical staff led by coach Mohamed Wahbi and was briefed on the preparations and atmosphere within the camp.
The Moroccan national team is considered one of the leading African teams in the tournament, following their historic achievement at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where they reached the semifinals; this is their third consecutive participation.
Media Controversy Over Entry Visa
Lekjaa’s visit sparked widespread media controversy on social media and Algerian websites, which reported in recent days that U.S. authorities had previously denied him an entry visa.
Some Algerian publications and reports claimed that the refusal was due to “suspicions of his involvement in money laundering, corruption, and drug trafficking,” falsely relying on what they termed “international investigations” and a “U.S. blacklist” related to the “Escobar of Morocco” case.
Notable Algerian news accounts and websites published posts confirming that Lekjaa is “banned from entering the United States,” and that high-level Moroccan diplomatic interventions (including Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita) were necessary to obtain the visa. Some of these posts described the situation as a “scandal,” noting that the previous refusal prevented him from participating in FIFA meetings held in America in 2025.
Official Response and Reality on the Ground
However, official photos and videos released by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation confirmed Lekjaa’s arrival in New Jersey and his participation in the visit, along with a diplomatic reception at the airport. Moroccan sources reported that he obtained the visa easily without any impediments, contrary to the lies of the neighboring media.
After the images spread and the lies were exposed, these outlets could only claim that Lekjaa obtained the visa after Bourita’s intervention.
