Morocco coach Regragui vows to create history

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

Morocco coach Walid Regragui vowed to create history by beating holders France in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on Wednesday.

Morocco had a dream run in the tournament, they became the first team to reach the semi-final of a World Cup on the African continent. After beating Portugal in the quarters, they are brimming with confidence.

“We are here to win. We are going to dig deeper. We want to win this World Cup for Africa, for our brothers in Egypt, Syria, Tunisia and all the African and Arab countries. We are confident we can pull it off,” said Regragui.

Morocco have defeated the teams like Belgium, who were on the second spot in the FIFA ranking before the World Cup, drew with Croatia, who defeated Brazil in the quarter-finals.

They also defeated Canada, who were considered a much better side skillfully and overwhelmed European champions Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo.

He played down the talks of his troubled childhood in the suburbs of France but said it fuels his hunger more.

Regragui lived in ghettos in the suburbs of France during his childhood in subhuman conditions, which could break the spirit of any human being.

“I don’t want to discuss all those things. Sometimes it is not as easy for some people in life as for others. But that is something that drives me. That keeps my hunger alive.

“I am a dreamer and I like to dream. I love to make them come true. A lot of people criticized me when I spoke about my dream of going deep into the World Cup, but now we are here. If people can take inspiration from that, it will be great and I will be delighted and proud,” said the Moroccan coach.

Morocco are the first team from the African continent to make it to the last four of the World Cup and the third team outside Europe and South America after USA and South Korea.

Moroccan players have often been seen celebrating with their mothers. Sofiane Boufal danced with his mother on the pitch after their victory over Spain in the knockouts and Achraf Hakimi also ran into the crowd to kiss his mother during one of the matches.

“World Cup is an opportunity for our players to show how close they are to their families, their mothers and wives. What they mean to them. It is the Moroccan culture to show gratitude for our mothers because they are the beacons of life. They always wish the best for us,” he added.

He also thanked all the Moroccan Kings and the fans for their unwavering support and unconditional love.

“I want to thank His Majesty Mohammad VI for his support to sports in general and football in particular in the country. We have reached the semis and it shows that both Morocco and the football in the country are on the right track.

I also want to thank our fans for their love and support. I expect at least 20000 fans are going to come to see the semi-final match.

“It was not easy for the Moroccan fans to come to Qatar. It is quite expensive for them. But they have come all the way to  cheer for their team. It shows their passion for football and love for their motherland.”

“Morocco is a great country. We respect all religions and people. We are very generous and some people think it is our weakness but we consider it as our strength,” he said.

“When we are playing in the World Cup, everyone is watching us. This is a good platform to display your quality. Everybody I focused on Morocco and it is important for me and the for the team,” he concluded.

Moroccan player Elias Elsher said he is ready and raring to go against France.

“I am ready to do whatever the coach asks me. It is a big opportunity and we are looking forward to playing against France. The coach has been extremely helpful and he has created a family-like environment. I think he is the best coach in the tournament. He is the best man to take us as deep as we have reached,” said Elsher.