The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has officially announced the appointment of Walid Regragui at the head of the Atlas Lions.
The former Wydad coach has signed a 3-year contract with the FRMF, which will last until the 2026 World Cup.
The announcement was made by Fouzi Lakjaa, president of the FRMF, from the Mohammed VI Complex of Maamora.
Walid Regragui will lead the first team in the World Cup 2022, in the African Cup organized in the Ivory Coast in 2024, but also in the World Cup 2026.
Regragui, in his new assignment at the head of the first Moroccan national football team, is accompanied by a technical staff consisting of former international players Rachid Benmhamoud and Gharib Amzine.
The technical staff of the Moroccan national team also includes Omar Al-Harraq for the training of goal keepers, and Edu Gonzalez in physical training.
In a press conference on the occasion of the announcement, the new coach said that he knows what he wants from the team and the desired avid performance of the players, thanking former coach Vahid Halilhodzic for qualifying Morocco for the 2022 World Cup.
Regragui added that Moroccan international players are called to fight and make every effort to be in the Moroccan national team, and that he will convey his motivation to those who will be called up to the Moroccan team to achieve positive results.
The new coach considered that the players know what is required of them, and said that he had contacted a number of them a few days ago.
“When the call of the homeland comes, there is no room for a vacation, and the bet on me by the Moroccan Federation will fulfill my dream of coaching this national team, whose jersey I wore, especially since my generation did not manage for it to be in the World Cup. It is a dream that I carried as a player and I will achieve it as a coach,” added Regragui.
In response to a question regarding the presence of Hamdallah and Ziyech in the team, Regraki said: “There is no difference between one player and another. I accept any Moroccan as long as the level he offers is the best, but I tend to those who give their best.”
The new national coach stressed that the Moroccan national team has some of the top African football players, while noting the importance of continuing the work to make Moroccan football among the greats at the global level, and that this great ambition requires daily work between the supervising staff and the FRMF.
“I am required to submit the national team squad next Sunday, and I have a short-term goal in the World Cup, and therefore I cannot change the entire team or enter into experiments that may not succeed, but I will put my own imprint after the World Cup in Qatar,” said Regragui.
Regragui’s appointment comes three months before the Moroccan team’s participation in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and its competition in Group F against Belgium, Canada and Croatia.
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