The Late Hassan Mandoun Memorial Soccer Tournament

 Teams:

Majd FC - New York FC - Bank of America FC - Tawhid United

WAC Veterans - WAC

Date of Event:  March 25, 2010

 The Washington Moroccan Club started in 1988 as a soccer team. It grew over time to what it is today; a fully developed and mature organization that deals with matters relating to Morocco, bilateral relations between the United States and Morocco, and issues with relevance to the Moroccan-American community in the United States.

Partly for this historical reason and partly because of the fact that soccer is Morocco's number one sport, the Washington Moroccan Club hosted a soccer tournament as a part of its 20^th anniversary celebrations.

 The unexpected passing of the late Hassan Mandoun had a deep effect on community members who knew him.  He was a strong community supporter and a soccer enthusiast.  That is not surprising as he was one of the few Moroccan-Americans who have played soccer professionally in Morocco.  In was only fitting to dedicate the sporting portion of the 20^th anniversary celebration in his memory.

 The tournament also served the purpose of attracting community members from out of state.  For example, a full team from New York traveled to take part in this tournament as well as some players from Florida. Present was also Bank of America team that was composed of players of different nationalities.

 A team composed of the WAC veterans also took part.  This allowed bringing many of the original players together for the first time in many years.   This was also appropriate in light of the history of the Club.

 Other local Moroccan teams Tawhid and Majd were present and provided much excitement.

 The event was also highlighted by its guests of honor.  For example, Khalil Azmi, a World Cup veteran, was present at the tournament.  As a former member of the WAC DC team, he was part of the veterans' squad.  He was especially accommodating and cordial as he posed for pictures with spectators and players.   He showed a glimpse of his tremendous talent in some of the games when he played as a goalkeeper. 

 Another guest of honor was Mohamed Derhem of Jil Jilala.  He, in turn, took plenty of pictures with the players and the spectators.  It was clear to see that he is still "bit by the soccer bug" as for quite a while as he juggled the ball and passed it around with others on the side line.

 Another memorable moment was the mid-afternoon music performance by a Sahraoui band that was flown all the way from Morocco to partake in the 20^th anniversary celebrations. Many spectators gathered around and clapped and danced to its beat.

 As in the case of many other events, SNRT correspondents were present to cover the event.  It interviewed some players and attendees and filmed parts of some games to prepare a report which they have made available to the general public.

 Overall, the event was a resounding success. One thing to keep in mind for future celebrations is the need to encourage still more teams from out of state to participate.