Atlas Lions get new coach ahead of the World Cup.
After days of speculation and dismissal of Vahid Halilhodzic by the Moroccan Football Association(FRMF) on 11th August after failure to get along with some Moroccan stars including Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech and Bayern’s Noussair Mazraoui who have been absent from the team for some time now, the association has selected the former Wydad Casablanca head coach, Walid Regragui to lead the Atlas Lions at this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Regragui, a binational born in France represented Morocco during his career as a player reaching the CAN finals in 2004. The tactician who has recently won the African Champions League-Botola with Wydad Casablanca back home became the favorite to lead his nation at World Cup in 3 months.
Despite Morocco’s qualification for the World Cup in Qatar, Vahid Halilhodzic’s future with the Moroccan selection was more uncertain than ever. The absence of Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui in selection for disciplinary problems, animated the debates and the anger of the supporters who demand their return. Both players declined the summons and refused to wear the Morocco shirt, presumably until Vahid Halilhodzic left.