New York - After a series of disappointing results with the Moroccan National team and its notorious inability to build a resilient and competitive group, a group of Moroccans launched a petition demanding the dismissal of Eric Gerets from his post as coach of the Atlas Lions.
New York – After a series of disappointing results with the Moroccan National team and its notorious inability to build a resilient and competitive group, a group of Moroccans launched a petition demanding the dismissal of Eric Gerets from his post as coach of the Atlas Lions.
The latest in the series of disappointing results came last weekend when the Moroccan team played against Gambia. Moroccan fans were appalled by the poor performance of the players, as well as by the choices made by Eric Gerets and his lack of vision.
This lack of vision was made clear when he made three changes at the beginning of the second half, leaving the team vulnerable to any contingency. A few minutes after these changes, Younes Belhanda was injured and obliged to leave the pitch. As the Moroccan team has used its authorized three replacements, it was forced to end the match with 10 players.
The second disappointment came on Saturday when the Moroccan team was on the verge of losing a home match against Cote D’Ivoire. Since Eric Gerets took over in October 2010, the ranking of the Atlas Lions went from bad to worse, reaching the shameful 70th position in the global ranking. Never in Morocco’s history, the Moroccan team went that down.
The Highest Paid National Coach in the World
After the resignation of Fabio Capello last February from his post as coach of England’s national team, Eric Gerets, Morocco’s national team coach, has become the most highly paid national team coach in the world.
In return for his fat salary, he rewarded Moroccan fans with a shameful and demeaning elimination from the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
His undeserved and exorbitant salary, coupled with the elimination of Morocco from this continental competition, and the poor performances of national team against Gambia, are causing unprecedented disgruntlement among Moroccans, most of whom are calling on the Moroccan Federation of Football to sack him.
The arguments put forth by those who brought this highly controversial coach was that he has a good record at the club level and a “proven international status.”
When one examines his resume, however, he will see that Mr. Gerets has barely won one title with Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and o a few others with PSV Einthoven. One will inevitably come to the conclusion that the people in charge of the destiny of Moroccan football are either blind to the reality of Morocco’s football needs, or they are living in another planet. Oh maybe, because of the French complex of these officials, the fact that he won a title with a French team, is enough to conclude that he has an international renown.
Many Moroccans correctly pointed out that since officials are willing to pay a high salary to a foreign coach, why not recruit or consider someone truly successful, such as Marcello Lippi who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006 after winning a number of titles with Juventus and other Italian teams.
Perhaps Mr. Vicente del Bosque who won the World Cup with the Spanish National team in 2010, after winning three Champions League titles with Real Madrid in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Why not consider Dutch coach Gus Hiddink, or Carlos Alberto Perrera, who won the 1994 World Cup with Brazil. One can safely say that these coaches have an international status, and that they would deserve the fat salary being earned by Eric Gerets.
It is worth pointing out that, while a coach who bears the biggest responsibility in the elimination of Morocco from the first round of the African Cup of Nations earns 3 million Euros, Vicente del Bosque, who made all Spaniards proud when he brought them the World Cup in 2010, earns an annual salary of 1,5 million euros.
Morocco’s GDP stood in 2010 at 92 billion dollars, whereas Spain’s GDP was 1,4 trillion dollars.
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