Morocco's under-19 national team participation in an international tournament in Poland at the end of June was overshadowed by the incident of five players fleeing, raising controversy and questions about the supervision and monitoring within the Moroccan delegation. In response, the National Authority for Combating Corruption in Sports called on Mohamed Saad Berrada, Minister of National Education, Primary Education, and Sports, to launch an urgent administrative investigation to identify those responsible. The authority described the incident as a «sporting and diplomatic scandal» that damages Morocco's reputation abroad. Beyond demanding an investigation, the authority suggested possible internal collusion, noting that a specific individual's name had repeatedly surfaced in foreign training camps and was suspected of links to illegal migration networks. This fueled suspicions of «disguised migration under the cover of sports». The authority sharply criticized the Royal Moroccan Handball Federation for the absence of senior officials accompanying the delegation and the presence of an escort over 30 years old, raising serious concerns about adherence to organizational and legal standards when forming the team. Additionally, the authority revealed it had received reports that the «Majd Souk Sebt» club had previously dismissed one of the fleeing players, warning of his problematic behavior. Yet, the federation allegedly overlooked this, reflecting a «lack of seriousness and absence of accountability», according to their statement. The authority also expressed surprise at the federation's silence and failure to issue any official statement, especially given that a similar incident occurred in Croatia in 2023 without any disciplinary measures taken.
