Morocco’s 1–1 draw with Mali in their second group-stage match at AFCON 2025 sparked a backlash on social media, with fans disappointed by the Atlas Lions’ performance and head coach Walid Regragui’s tactical choices.
Despite topping Group A with 4 points, Morocco’s performance against Mali under Regragui, who had previously claimed he could win the cup and that no one could do it better than him, made many doubt the team’s chances of going far in the tournament.
Videos circulating online showed many Moroccan fans, who had come to fully support the Atlas Lions, going from whistling at the opponent to chanting to hype up the team, leaving the stadium minutes before the match even ended at 90+11, while others started booing the national team.
“Regragui was missing, that’s the truth. He keeps saying we need the fans, but everything is already in place. It’s him who’s absent. AFCON in Morocco is a state project, not just a federation initiative. Morocco has provided the Federation and CAF with all the resources to win this tournament,” said sports expert Mohamed Maghoudi to Hesport on Studio L’Can25.
He added, “Regragui needs to recognize this and stop saying empty words. If results are poor, apologizing isn’t enough. He needs to work, stand up, and address the many flaws in the Moroccan national team.”
“Morocco looked disorganized and lacked fighting spirit against Mali. The coach fell into a routine and lost control against a strong Mali team,” said journalist Assiraj Mohamed Dho on Facebook.
Taha Imani, regional head of content at Footballco, a global football media and content company, said on X, “the second half was disastrous. Mali was clearly much better tactically. A draw would only worsen tensions between Walid and Moroccan fans.”
Even Mali’s Belgian coach, Tom Saintfiet, admitted he didn’t understand Regragui’s plan.
He claimed that bringing on three substitutes at once, followed by two more, completely broke Morocco’s cohesion, putting Mali in a position to easily win with ten minutes of extra time.
Regragui described the 1–1 draw against Mali in their second AFCON group match as a high-level game and full of intensity. He said the team did what was needed but missed chances to win.
He said the Atlas Lions did what was expected of them and created several chances to win, but missed some key opportunities, including giving Mali a penalty that allowed them back into the game.
Even though the draw was disappointing, he called it a very important test for the team, praising their defensive strength and ability to control the game at key moments.
Other fans called for calm, urging supporters to keep backing the Atlas Lions to the very end, saying it’s too late for complaints.
“Harsh criticism and whistling at the team won’t help now, and Regragui cannot leave at this stage. The only solution is to support the Atlas Lions fully, not help any opponents we may face, and give the players the encouragement and confidence they need, while keeping the pressure on the rivals,” said one X user.
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