Belgium’s coach Roberto Martinez said Morocco and Belgium share common links, after both countries were revealed to compete within the same Group for the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup.
Morocco came out in Group F, alongside Belgium, Croatia, and Canada, following FIFA’s final draw, which took place last Friday.
“Morocco is a team we know very well,” Martinez told BBC Sport Africa in a statement, adding, “obviously we have got a huge Moroccan population in Belgium and there are many Belgian-born players that qualify to play for Morocco.”
“We follow those talented players from a young age. We even share technical staff. We know each other very well,” he continued.
As for the national coach Vahid Halilhodzic, he previously told BBC in a statement that he knows Belgians very well, describing them as “Red Devils.”
The national coach further stated that he remembers how he lost against them with Algeria 8 years ago due to excessive fear.
“It is all about experience, you have to prepare your team to play with a team like Belgium (…), they have exceptional qualities,” Halilhodzic added.
“The national team is part of a challenging group with Croatia, the runner-up for the last edition of the world Cup, the third-placed Belgium team, and Canada, the best North American team,” he specified.
Morocco is set to face off Croatia first on November 23, then Belgium on November 27, and Canada on December 1.
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