Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – British media are already speculating about a possible replacement if Morocco’s national football team coach Vahid Halilhodzic leaves the Atlas Lions. UK outlet the Daily Mail speculated today that renowned Portuguese coach Andre Villas-Boas is being considered as a possible replacement for the beleaguered French-Bosnian coach.
Halilhodzic is facing public calls for his departure and is said to be in close communication with Morocco’s football body regarding his future despite qualifying for the World Cup and a quarter-final exit in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Since Morocco’s 2-1 loss to Egypt in the AFCON quarter-finals, the vast majority of Atlas Lions fans have taken up the view that Halilhodzic is nor the right coach for the Moroccan national team.
Many Moroccans see the Franco-Bosnian manager as the source of a conflict with two Dutch-Moroccan stars, Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech and 24-year old Ajax right-back Noussair Mazraoui, who is likely to soon sign for Bayern Munich.
Both players are highly regarded in world football and seen as potentially “indispensable” for the Atlas Lions; yet disagreements with the team’s head coach caused a rift that saw Ziyech retire from international football, and Mazraoui indicating he is taking Ziyech’ side in the dispute.
The festering wounds of Morocco’s AFCON debacle and Halilhodzic’s lingering conflict with two players whose presence is deemed essential for Morocco’s World Cup dreams suggest the Franco-Bosnian coach could be sacked soon.
According to The Daily Mail, former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas could be a likely replacement to lead the Atlas Lions in the world cup.
The renowned Portuguese coach was fired by Marseille in early 2021, making him available on the job market. Still, speculation around a possible replacement for Halilhodzic has also included French footballing legend Laurent Blanc and former Atlas Lions coach Herve Renard.
