After a great World Cup in 2022, Morocco is expected to turn the corner during this 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Touted as the tournament favourites, Walid Regragu’s team finished the group stage of the tournament at the top of Group F with 7 points. Actually on the clock, the Atlas Lions won 3-0 against Tanzania on the first day on January 17. Then, they followed up with a draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo (1–1) on 21 January. Finally, they won 1-0 last night against Zambia. A meeting that Morocco played without their coach by their side. Indeed, a few hours before the start of the match, CAF, which had launched an investigation, announced the suspension of Regragu for 4 matches, including 2 suspensions, following his altercation with Chancelle Mbemba.
Regragui’s deputy defends him
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation responded with a press release. “Following the binding decision of the Disciplinary Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the coach of the Moroccan national team “A”, Mr. Holid Regragui, was suspended for four matches, two of which were suspended after the following acts. Morocco-DRC match (1-1), the Royal Moroccan Football Federation decided to appeal this unfair decision because coach Regragu did not violate the values of fair play at any time. Despite this, the 48-year-old technician, who has always denied the allegations against him, could not attend the bench last night.
While he was on the stand, his deputy Rachid Benmahmoud took his place. After the meeting, he also defended his colleague. “We got the news around 3 pm. For us, Walid could never utter a derogatory word. I was present, he did nothing. On the contrary, it was the player who provoked us during the match and Walid did not respond… The coach gave a lot to Moroccan and African football. He has always campaigned for the development of football on the continent. I don’t understand why he is accused of racism. In any case, I am sure that the FRMF will be able to defend Walid Regragui’s rights and he has already appealed.
Supported coaches
He then extolled the merits of Regragui, the reformer in Morocco. “In the past, there were people who defended their own interests in the selection. Those days are over now. We are a family and we always prioritize the interests of the selection. Everyone is committed to take the team as far as possible. We are organized. Being, united and focused on our objectives. The federation, staff and players, especially Hakim Ziyech who dedicated his goal to him, are all behind the national coach. This is the case of Sofian Amarbat. After the final whistle yesterday, the Manchester United player was asked about the situation of Walid Regragui, who will not be on the bench during the 1/8 final against South Africa if the Confederation of African Football retains its approval.
“It was a tough match but we still managed to get first place and get another win. However, we still have some issues to work on, continuing to develop our game for the rest of the competition. We have a lot of confidence (…) Walid is our brother, our father, it was very difficult to play on the side without him. Moreover, we do not understand why CAF took this decision and why it was announced at the eleventh hour just before the match. In any case, we have achieved the requirements, hoping to continue and develop at the same pace. On the press side, The New Tribune Talked about oneA surprising decision“Regarding the coach’s suspension. Walid Regragui and Morocco hope to receive good news from CAF in the coming days.
Pub. The
Update
