Since September 27, Morocco has witnessed youth-led protests calling for investment in health and education rather than costly preparations for AFCON 2025 and the 2030 World Cup. Similar outrage erupted in South Africa (2010) and Brazil (2014), where citizens condemned lavish sports spending and demanded priority for essential public services. Since September 27, Morocco's streets have seen youth-led protests. The demonstrations, called for online by an anonymous group calling itself «GenZ 212», spread through TikTok, Instagram, and the gaming app Discord. Protesters demanded better education and hospitals, urging the government to focus spending on these vital sectors. Their main criticism targeted the billions invested in upcoming sporting events, with Morocco set to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the coming weeks and, jointly with Spain and Portugal, the 2030 World Cup. «Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?» protesters shouted over the weekend in rallies across cities expected to host AFCON and World Cup games. In response, Morocco's ruling coalition leadership said Tuesday that the reform demands voiced by youth movements «align with the government's own priorities». Big sporting events backlash Prioritizing social services such as health and education over massive sporting projects is not a uniquely Moroccan demand. Similar protests have erupted elsewhere ahead of major global tournaments. In South Africa, the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup triggered a wave of unrest. Communities accused the government of pouring money into stadiums, roads, airports, and tourist infrastructure while millions remained in shacks without basic services. Near Pretoria, thousands of squatters threatened to disrupt the tournament, saying it was disgraceful that «millions could be spent on the World Cup» while they still lived without electricity or running water, the BBC reported in May 2010. In Brazil, similar protests broke out before the 2014 World Cup. Demonstrators condemned billions spent on the tournament, demanding instead investments in social projects, housing, healthcare, and education. A June 2014 BBC article reported that riot police fired tear gas to disperse thousands in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro protesting the costs of hosting the World Cup. Anger only grew when Brazil was granted the 2016 Olympics too. World Cup vs. health and education «The demonstrations were initially sparked by an increase in public transport fares … and grew to encompass a wide range of grievances, including corruption and poor public services», noted a study «Prestige and Punishment: Status Symbols and the Danger of White Elephants». One protest slogan summed up the frustration: «The World Cup I can give up; I want money for health and education». Researchers stressed that at the root of the 2013 protests was «the widespread perception that essential public services remained poor and were not receiving sufficient funds from the same state that was spending millions of dollars on stadiums». In Greece, the anger came later, with Athens hosting the Summer Olympics in 2004. Almost all of the facilities built for the 2004 Athens Olympics, whose costs contributed to the country's debt crisis, are now derelict, writes the Council on Foreign Relations. Ten years on, many Greeks saw the Games as a costly mistake. «It was a waste of money and all for show. It cost a lot», recalled Dimitris Mardas, economics professor and former trade secretary, in a Reuters piece.
