Botola

The Botola, is the top division of the Moroccan football league system, the highest football league in Morocco.

History
The first edition of the Moroccan Football League under the FRMF was created in 1956/1957 just after the independence of Morocco.

Competition
Every year 16 teams are in race to have the perfect place in the end of competition. The two lowest placed teams are relegated to Botola 2 and the top two teams from Botola 2 are promoted in their place.

Champion and runner up, participates on the African Champions League. The third placed and Coupe du Trône winner are qualified to participate on African Confederation Cup.

Sponsorship
Since 2000, Maroc Telecom is the official sponsor of the Botola for a 15 millions dirham/year contract.

Broadcasting rights
On September 2007, the SNRT Group (Al Aoula, 2M TV and Arryadia) bought a three seasons contract for 225 millions dirhams.

Each week, all games of the Botola are broadcasted on live by at least one TV channel.

Clubs
The three most popular Moroccan clubs are Wydad Casablanca, Raja Casablanca and FAR Rabat. Other historically established sides include Maghreb Fez and Kawkab Marrakech.

Members for 2011–12
The following 16 clubs will compete in the Moroccan Pro League during the 2011–12 season.

Stadiums
The recently opened Marrakech Stadium in Marrakech (capacity: 45,240) is currently mainly used for international competition, as it was constructed as part of Moroccan's failed bid to land the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Performance by club
Wydad Casablanca have 12 titles in the Botola plus 5 other titles gained as french league championships title (Moroccan football league), which were orgaised by FFF (Fédération Française de Football) during the occupation of Morocco.