Morocco-Mali: King Mohammed VI still absent for the second match of the Atlas Lions at the CAN

After having already missed the opening ceremony of the 2025 African Cup of Nations in Rabat, and therefore Morocco’s victory against the Comoros (2-0), King Mohammed VI is once again absent for the Atlas Lions’ meeting against Mali this Friday at the Prince Moulay Abdallah stadium in Rabat.

This absence is being talked about everywhere except in Morocco, since the local press especially welcomed the presence of “His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan”, who gave the “symbolic kick-off of the meeting” this week.

The sovereign’s eldest son thus became the star of the start of the competition. Installed alongside the President of the Comoros Azali Assoumani and the President of Fifa Gianni Infantino, the 22-year-old presided over the opening ceremony and wanted to thank his father “for welcoming the world of football to this wonderful country, for uniting Africa and uniting the world”. He was, however, apparently not present this Friday evening in Rabat.

Moulay El Hassan has occupied more of the media landscape since the announcement of the illness of King Mohammed VI. Increasingly absent from public representations, the sovereign has been affected by sarcoidosis for several years, a pathology which affects the immune system and damages his heart. He made several trips to France to treat this disease, the cause of which is unknown but which causes an accumulation of granulomas in different organs.