El Houcine El Hayani, a prominent Moroccan sports journalist, has died at the age of 87.
Known as the “National Memory” and the “Sports Archive,” El Hayani’s contributions to Moroccan sports media spanned several decades.
Before his passing, El Hayani wrote a farewell letter, expressing his readiness to embrace death and seek forgiveness from anyone he might have wronged.
“The time for departure has come, and I am happy about it,” El Hayani wrote in a message shared by his son on Facebook on Tuesday. “I will be the groom of happiness if forgiveness spreads between me and those I wronged, even slightly.”
On a final note, the message read: “Departing from this world is a burden on my neck and the necks of all God’s creations, as God ordained that this world has an end.”
Born in the city of Taounate, northern Morocco, in 1937, El Hayani began his career during the early days of sports journalism in the 1950s and 1960s.
He made history by launching Morocco’s first specialized sports newspaper, Al-Riyadi, in 1966. He also worked for the weekly magazine Sawt Al-Maghrib.
Throughout his career, El Hayani became known as a well-rounded journalist, described by sports critic Mounsef Al-Yazghi as “the only journalist in Morocco who practiced the profession across various media platforms: print, radio, and television.”
After a distinguished career, El Hayani retired in the early 2000s but remained active in the media landscape.
He continued to share his insights and perspectives through a YouTube channel and Facebook page.
In addition to his media work, El Hayani authored several books documenting the history and evolution of Moroccan sports.
His publications include Moroccan Sports: Testimonies and Secrets (1992), Larbi Benbarek: Player of the Century (2002), the novel The Midnight Neigh (2008), and King Hassan II: 54 Years of Sports Battles and Decisions (2024).