Thursday 05 December 2024

Thursday 05 December 2024

On CNN, Walid Regragui Highlights Atlas Lions’ Ambitions at Africa Cup of Nations

Washington – Morocco’s national football team head coach, Walid Regragui, highlighted, in an interview broadcast by CNN, the ambitions of the Atlas Lions at the Africa Cup of Nations, noting that the team will do its best to win the tournament.

Winning the Africa Cup of Nations “is very hard” but the players “will do their best” to claim the title and make the Moroccan people happy again, said the head coach of Morocco, which according to the US news channel is now part of the “elite” of world football after the historic performance achieved at the last World Cup.

“More than a year after a fairytale performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, all eyes are still on Morocco’s national football team and its head coach Walid Regragui,” CNN pointed out.

“And to up the stakes even more, they are one of the favorites to win this latest edition of the Africa Cup of Nations,” CNN added during this interview carried out at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé.

According to Regragui, Morocco has “important goals” during this CAN. “In this training center [Mohammed VI Football Complex] there is a photograph of the national team which were the last winners of the African Cup in 1976. Every day when the players come here, they look at the photo and get inspired. My goal as a coach is not to remove this photo but it is to put a new photo of the next winners here,” Morocco’s head coach stressed.

The Atlas Lions head coach, who noted that Morocco must regularly qualify for the World Cup, did not rule out the possibility that an African team would win the trophy one day.

Regarding his personal achievements, Africa’s “Coach of the Year” said that “these are not things I’m very interested in”. “What interests me most is my team,” he underlined.

“Today many individual trophies are awarded, either CAF, Ballon d’Or or FIFA Awards. It is nice to see Africans like myself at these awards, because it enhances the continent, and most of all, it enhances the Moroccan football landscape,” Regragui said.

On Tuesday, Morocco will take on South Africa in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations.

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Moroccan internationals, Yassine Bouno, Achraf Hakimi and Soufiane Rahimi have been shortlisted for the “The Best FIFA Men’s XI” award, the world soccer’s governing body announced on its official website on Friday.

Yassine Bouno was crowned Saudi Arabian champion with Al-Hilal, Achraf Hakimi won the French championship with Paris Saint-Germain, while Soufiane Rahimi won the Asian Champions League with Al-Aïn, where he was top scorer.

Hakimi and Rahimi also won bronze medals with the national team at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Other African players in contention for a place in the FIFA XI include Gabonese and Nigerian strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ademola Lookman, and South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s XI awards recognize the world’s best players in their respective positions, nominating players on the basis of their performances between August 21, 2023 and August 10, 2024.

Morocco’s football national team fell down one place to 14th in the world rankings published by FIFA on Thursday.

The Atlas Lions, who dropped one place from the last FIFA ranking, remain in first place in Africa with 1688.18 points, ahead of Senegal in 17th place with 1637.25 points.

The national team also remains in first place in the Arab world ahead of Egypt in second place (33rd worldwide) with 1513.48 points.

Argentina remains at the top of the FIFA rankings, followed by France and Spain.

Here is the FIFA Top10 as of November 28, 2024:

1. Argentina

2. France

3. Spain

4. England

5. Brazil

6. Portugal

7. Netherlands

8. Belgium

9. Italy

10. Germany

 Morocco’s U20 national football team delivered a commanding performance on Saturday, defeating Libya 4-0 in Ismailia, Egypt, in the North African Football Union (UNAF) tournament, to clinch a spot in the upcoming U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Goals from Mouad Dahak (21′), Naoufel El Hannach (45’+2), Ayman Arguigue (53′), and Saad El Haddad (71′) sealed the victory, solidifying Morocco’s dominance in the competition.

The team, coached by Mohamed Ouahbi, finished the tournament at the top of the standings with 10 points, recording three wins and one draw.

The next U20 AFCON, which will feature 12 teams, serves as a qualification pathway for the U20 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place next year in Chile.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially unveiled on Monday the shortlist of five finalists nominees in each of the men’s categories at CAF Awards 2024, including Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi, shortlisted for African Player of the Year.

In addition to Moroccan and French club Paris Saint-Germain’s right-back, other contenders for the prestigious African Player of the Year award include Ivorian Simon Adingra (Brighton and Hove Albion), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea/Borussia Dortmund), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria/Atalanta) and Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns).

In the “Young Player of the Year” category, Moroccan international Eliesse Ben Seghir, who plays for French club AS Monaco, is in the running alongside Karim Konaté (Côte d’Ivoire/Salzburg), Oumar Diakité (Côte d’Ivoire/Reims), Yankuba Minteh (Gambia/Brighton and Hove Albion) and Lamine Camara (Senegal/AS Monaco).

As for the Club of the Year category, the list of five finalists includes Berkane Renaissance alongside South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Zamalek as well as Espérance Sportive de Tunis.

The prestigious CAF Awards 2024 ceremony will take place in Marrakech on December 16.

The Moroccan national football team dominated their Gabonese counterparts by 5 goals to 1 on Friday at the Franceville stadium, for the fifth Group B fixture of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN-2025) qualifiers.

Gabon’s striker, Dénis Bouanga, fired first in the 5th minute before the Atlas Lions retaliated with a downpour of goals scored by Jamal Harkass (17′), Brahim Diaz (21′, 23′), Youssef En-Nesyri (81′) and Ismael Saibari (90′).

In the same group, Lesotho beat the Central African Republic on Thursday (1-0).

Following today’s fixtures, Morocco consolidated their position at the top of Group B with 15 points from five wins, ahead of Gabon, who qualified for the CAN (7 points). Lesotho are third with 4 points, while the Central African Republic are dead last with 3 points.

Morocco’s national soccer team thrashed Lesotho 7-0 (5-0 in 1st half-time ) on Monday evening at the Stade d’Honneur in Oujda, as part of the 6th and final matchday of Group B qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025).

The Atlas Lions won thanks to a hat-trick from Brahim Diaz (5′, 15′, 42′), two goals by Sofiane Rahimi (37′, 45’+2 penalty) as well as Youssef En-Nesyri (68′) and Ismael Saibari (70′).

With this win, the national team finishes top of its group with 18 points from 6 wins, ahead of Gabon (10 pts), who already qualified for the next AFCON and defeated this evening the Central African Republic (1-0).