From our special correspondent in Ivory Coast – Crowned with its historic performance at the 2022 World Cup, Walid Regragui’s Morocco arrives as favorite at CAN 2024, as it begins its competition against Namibia. The coach makes no secret of it: the continental trophy is his only objective, 20 years after losing an African Cup final as a player.
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“Only victory is beautiful.” Here is an antiphon from Peggy Bouchet – and Thibaut Pinot – in which Walid Regragui deeply believes. The Morocco coach arrives in Ivory Coast for the African Cup of Nations with one goal: final victory. And no matter who gets in his way. Modest Tanzania, its first opponent in Group F on Wednesday January 17, has been warned.
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The charismatic technician has displayed his objective on several occasions. In the wake of Morocco’s feat in Qatar, forever the first African nation in the semi-finals of the World Cup, he even announced that he would resign if he did not win the continental competition.
When presenting his list in the Moroccan media, the African coach of the year 2023 repeated his wish, while tempering the threat that would hover over his position: “We want to maintain ourselves at the same level (as at the World Cup). 2022). I want to get to the semi-final at least,” he said. “If I don’t succeed, I will leave and the new coach will have to continue in the same state of mind. This is how Morocco will progress.”
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Victory or nothing! A mentality that he tirelessly instills in his players: “What is important is the state of mind, we must go there with complete confidence to overcome the curse of the African Cup”.
A “curse” of Morocco in Africa which is starting to worry in the kingdom. Indeed, if Morocco is one of the most assiduous representatives of Africa in the World Cup with six participations, an anthology round of 16 in 1986 and now the historic 2022 semi-final, the kingdom has not won only one CAN in 18 participations.
Frustrated with the 2004 final
This CAN victory was in 1976 and Walid Regragui was only a six-month-old baby, the third child of a Moroccan family immigrating to France. Since then, the disappointments have continued for Morocco and the man who is now coach was at the forefront of one of them: the lost final of 2004 at neighboring Tunisia. Right back of the typical team in the competition, he failed to prevent his team’s defeat against the host country (1-2).
A lost final which must remain as an injury for the Franco-Moroccan when we know his fighting mentality. At the helm of the Atlas Lions, he now has the opportunity to change his history and that of his favorite selection.
A balance between old and new
Walid Regragui relies on the same team as in Qatar, with his backbone: Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saïss, Sofyan Amrabat, Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri. He also strengthened his group with young people like Ez Abde and Chadi Riad, from Betis Sevilla, and Ismael Saibari, from PSV Eindhoven. A balance between young and old which has been the common thread throughout his career as a player and then as a coach.
“We have a good balance between the present and the future,” promises Walid Regragui. The three “Lion Cubs” of the Atlas won the first CAN Espoirs du Maroc in 2023 and aim to do the same with their elders.
This is the Regragui trademark: always aim high, very high. But be careful not to see yourself too handsome! The World Cup is not Africa where the extreme heat and the hazards specific to the CAN change from the glitter of the World Cup. But Walid Regragui also has the African instructions, at least for winning at club level, since he won the CAF Champions League with Wydad Casablanca just before taking the reins of Morocco.
One of the keys is not to get your feet caught in the entrance mat. A delicate exercise on which more than one favorite or outsider have already stumbled since the start of the competition, like Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria and even Tunisia.
“The schedule helps us sometimes. We play last so we have seen the results. But we are motivated. That doesn’t scare us. We will respect the (opposing) team. There is no small team. Everyone is aware that we have to be 100%,” announced the coach, optimistically, at a press conference just before Morocco – Tanzania.
Video. No Comment. A 20 meter high Christmas tree installed on the Grand-Place in Brussels.