Moroccan footballer drowns attempting to reach Ceuta

The Moroccan women's football scene mourns the loss of Faten Ben Amar El Azizi, a promising young player who drowned attempting to reach the Spanish city of Ceuta by sea. Her club, Maghreb Atlético Tetuán (MAT), expressed deep sorrow, stating El Azizi was not seeking fame but a "new door" to a better future.

"Her dream ended before it began," MAT conveyed in a statement. The club emphasized that her aim was not adventure but a "better life and a future she believed awaited her on the other side of the border." Her perilous journey concluded before reaching its destination, resulting in her death during the attempt to reach Ceuta.

El Azizi is one of 67 individuals who have died, according to Spanish authorities, amid an unprecedented crisis that saw approximately 60,000 people cross the border between Morocco and Ceuta. Morocco has maintained complete silence on the crisis, with no institutions responding to inquiries about casualties or missing persons within Moroccan territory.

Moroccan media report at least 17 deaths, primarily from drowning during the crossing from Fnideq (Castillejos) to Ceuta, adding to the bodies found in the Spanish city. As the border gradually returns to normal, some individuals gather at the crossing seeking news of loved ones, many of whom are young and have been missing for days. El Azizi's club lamented the "high price" paid by many young people in irregular migration attempts, which turn "dreams into nightmares and joy into tears."