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Rabat – Moroccan international football player Romain Saiss acknowledged that the days after Morocco’s elimination from the 2019 African Cup of Nations (CAN) were “a little hard.”
In an interview with France Football, Saiss said that he faced sleepless nights “with a lot of disappointment.”
“I hope that the two weeks of vacation before the recovery will allow me to move easily to something else,” Saiss said.
The football player was praised his performance during the first two games in 2019 CAN. However, the Atlas Lions’ disappointing performance against the Benin Squirrels, which led to their premature exit from the tournament, was met with waves of criticism from fans.
“It was a failure, one should acknowledge,” Saiss said.
He added that the failure resulted in a feeling of shame.
“We were representing Morocco, we aspired to go very far in this competition.”
“With all my respect to Benin, when you get sent home by this team when you had the opportunity to go far, it is annoying,” Saiss said.
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Benin defeated the national team on Friday, July 5 in a penalty shootout after Moroccan key football player Hakim Ziyech missed a penalty in the last minute of the game’s ordinary time. Missing the penalty led the Moroccan national team and Benin to extra time and then a penalty shootout in which Benin scored 4 penalties to Morocco’s one. .
Saiss said that after the defeat there was a “dead silence in the locker room and on the bus.”
“We try to be constantly serious because we always want to do something good. But that was not enough,” he said. He added that the national football team faces difficulties with “small teams” more than giants in the field. Saiss recalled Morocco’s hailed performances during the 2018 World Cup against Spain and Portugal.
The football player also defended his teammates, including Youssef En-Nesyri and Hakim Ziyech.
He said that the national team often receive criticism over lack of attackers.
Recalling Youessf En-Nesyri’s performance, Saiss said that the football player did “very well. He scored two goals and put in a lot of effort. “
Commenting on Ziyech’s performance, Saiss said that football fans have been expecting “more from him,given the season he has done [with Ajax].”
“It is normal for people to be disappointed because he has not scored or delivered a decisive pass,” he added.
Saiss said that Ziyech was “very tired” due to his season with his Dutch football club.
“We played matches where it was 37 or 38 [Celsius] degrees without a break.”
Saiss also commented on rumors that head coach of the national football team is expecting to leave the Atlas Lions after the elimination.
“There have never been any problems between us and the coach. The atmosphere has always been good,” said Saiss. The football player said that all players in the team, without exception, want Herve Renard to stay.
“He did beautiful things. Any player on the team will tell you that they have to stay and continue,” Saiss said.
An uproar emerged on social media after the elimination of the national team, especially when Renard’s alleged salary was disclosed.
Renard allegedly earns a month €120,000 from the Moroccan Royal Football Federation (FRMF).
