The Franco-Bosnian coach, Vahid Halilhodzic, said my pride was “taken away” from me by sacking me from my post as manager of the Moroccan national team this summer and stripping me of his leadership at the 2022 World Cup, where the Lions of the Atlas shone.
“They took away my pride,” Halilhodzic, 70, told Croatian news site Teportal.HR. I can’t forget it and I can’t forgive them. Because that (the World Cup) should also have been the end of my coaching career.
The Moroccan national team, led by compatriot Walid Regraki, Khalifa Khalilozic, did well at the World Cup in Qatar reaching the round of 16 for the first time in its history and in the history of Arab and African football, and on its way eliminated old teams, in notably Spain in the final standings and Portugal in the quarter-finals, before losing to France in the semi-finals.
Morocco finished the World Cup in fourth place after losing to Croatia (1-2), who were the first team they faced in the group stage when they drew in a goalless draw.
Halilhodzic confirmed that even the tribute paid by his successor to his right “has not healed his bitterness or compensated for his deprivation of being at the World Cup”.
The former Paris Saint-Germain manager, who took over the technical direction of the Atlas Lions in 2019, was sacked from his post in late August over his insistence on continuing to exclude Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech from the national team a cause of “disciplinary discipline”. problems.”
At the time, the Moroccan federation hinted at an “amicable” separation due to “differences of opinion on the readiness of the Atlas Lions”.
Ziyash performed tremendously in the Qatar World Cup and played an important role in reaching the semi-finals of the Atlas Lions, opening the score in the match against Canada (2-1) in the third and final round of the group stage, contributing upon reaching the final price for the second time in its history after the first in 1986 in Mexico.
Ziyash also scored the second penalty kick against Spain in the final price (3-0 on penalties, 0-0 in opening and overtime) and took Morocco to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
Ziyash, 29, was one of Khalilozic’s “unwelcome” elements, so he announced his retirement from the national team because of it, and it was also one of the reasons that led to the Franco-Bosnian manager’s sacking.
Khalilodjic paid the price for his intransigence by excluding him, despite the demand from Moroccan fans that his experience, talent and services need to be used in light of the lack of creativity in the “Atlas Lions” midfield, especially after the humiliating defeat against the United States for three net and friendlies last June.
Halilhodzic, who accused Ziyash of not being “trustworthy and causing problems” for the team, entered a war of statements against the president of the Moroccan Football Federation, Fawzi Lakjaa, who wanted to meet him and stressed that differences should be set aside for the benefit of the team, to no avail.
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