This week, a senior German FIFA official demanded Morocco's bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be put forward in an attempt to avoid the rise of "conspiracy theories" with regards to the selection process, according to the Associated Press.
Facing three big candidates - the U.S., Canada, and Mexico - Morocco's chances seemed to be lower at first, as remarks from inspections targeting its infrastructure, the state of its 14 stadiums, and the gaps in its human rights law were brought forth.
Nevertheless, FIFA Council member Reinhard Grindel explained to AP that the governing body does not want to resort to disqualifying the Arab country without fair trial.
"If there are only two (candidates), the Congress must have the chance to vote," Grindel, the president of the German soccer body which will help elect the 2026 host on June 13 in Moscow, told AP.
"We don’t need any rumors in such a process."
This decision to allow Morocco to submit a bid book and to change the selection process follows the scandalous 2010 vote, during which Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) were both chosen as World Cup hosts and were the "highest-risk options" at the same time.
As the committee who voted for stated decisions was discredited, it is clear the incident still haunts FIFA officials.
With little time before June 13 arrives, Morocco will have to up its game compared to its competitors in hopes to convince the 200-nation group of voters of their capabilities of hosting such an international event.
Earlier this month, AP uncovered a major human rights gap in Morocco's bid book - which it received from FIFA, as Morocco was not responsive to its North American counterparts.
The exclusion of the Arab nation's anti-LGBT laws in the bid book may have been an "intended omission" to avoid deeper inspections into its human rights violations.
"Morocco’s human rights report presented to the FIFA is an intentional silence on an issue that Morocco knows too well is a crime on its soil," Ahmed El Haij, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, told the AP.
Under Article 489, homosexuality is considered illegal in Morocco and carries a legal sentence of six months to three years in jail.
FIFA's regulations aim to ensure safety to all those attending its events. Thus, allowing Morocco, a country which doesn't allow freedom of sexual orientation, does not seem like the right choice.
"Under the new nondiscrimination requirements under FIFA’s statutes and under the Human Rights Policy, one of the red lines is anti-gay activity, laws or policies," Human Rights Watch director of global initiatives, Minky Worden, told the AP.
In addition, Morocco has been subject to a second inspection round while the bidders from North America haven't.
As Morocco's World Cup bid was sent to FIFA in March and was requested to be ameliorated, the country says it might need to pay up to $16 billion to build and renovate its 14 stadiums.
In contrast, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have plenty of room and an existing infrastructure to host 42 teams and the tourists who come along with this quadrennial event.
With all this trouble of paying money, changing its anti-LGBT laws, and being an underdog in the face of titans, will Morocco make it to the final round?