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Join on Telegram Fes – Morocco’s goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, has denied rumors of a rift between him and Morocco’s Bosnian coach, Vahid Halilhodzic, arguing that some media reports twisted some of his comments to create further controversy around Morocco’s national football team.
Since Morocco’s elimination from the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) , there have been many reports about a dispute between Bounou and Halilhodzic over the FC Sevilla goalkeeper’s disagreement with some of the coach’s tactical choices.
Speaking on February 14 on the sidelines of a virtual conference organized by LaLiga, Bounou said that Moroccan media outlets misinterpreted the statement he gave after Morocco’s 2-1 defeat to Egypt in the AFCON quarter-final.
Clearing up the statement he had made after the Egypt game, the Moroccan goalkeeper said that he never meant to refer to Halilhodzic when he talked about “some details” as the reason for Morocco’s disappointing, early elimination from AFCON.
“I was referring to details of some players’ inability to finish, such as Nayef Aguerd’s squandered opportunity,” he said, adding that the media misinterpreted his post-match statements to make it sound as though he disagreed with Halilhodzic’s tactical choices.
Bounou noted that he “was not aiming at Vahid in his statements following the elimination from AFCON 2021,” and that it is bad when “sometimes you are trying to help but others use your words against you.”
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Since many players on Morocco’s national team do not speak Arabic, Bounou explained, he often volunteered at AFCON to give pre- and post-match statements to local media. But with the media’s eagerness to twist and minsterpet for the sake of headlines, Bounou said he will now be staying away from making any statements that could be used to ignite further controversy.
Morocco’s goalkeeper said that Morocco’s national team is committed to working together to achieve good results, but people outside are trying to ignite more noise around the team.
The statements come as Morocco’s Atlas Lions prepare for a two-legged FIFA World Cup playoff match against DR Congo’s Leopards.
The two games have been scheduled for March 26 and 29, and Bounou’s remarks suggests the Moroccan team is looking to put the AFCON disappointment behind and focu on qualifying for the World Cup.
