Former Moroccan national team head coach Walid Regragui has revealed that he made Moroccan Darija the common language within the squad during his tenure with the Atlas Lions. The decision was a deliberate strategy aimed at uniting the players and strengthening their sense of belonging to a single, cohesive project.
In an interview with the platform “VESTIAIRES Coaching,” Regragui explained that all group discussions and team meetings were conducted in Darija. To ensure no one was left out, translators were provided for players who were not fluent in the dialect, a move designed to consolidate “the identity and shared feeling of playing for Morocco.”
However, he noted that one-on-one communication was tailored to each player to guarantee optimal understanding and build stronger personal relationships. For instance, Regragui communicated in Spanish with Achraf Hakimi, in English with Hakim Ziyech, and in French with Romain Saïss.
Regragui emphasized that the primary goal was to bring the children of the Moroccan diaspora together around the national team’s vision. He believed that establishing this “common language” off the pitch was essential for it to translate onto the field through a unified footballing language in service of a collective goal.
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