FRMF Reportedly Notifies Halilhodzic of Potential Contract Disengagement

Rabat – Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF) has reportedly sent a contract disengagement notice to Vahid Halilhodzic, the head coach of the Moroccan national football team.

The sports news outlet Hesport quoted what it called reliable sources as saying that Halilhodzic has just arrived in Morocco from his vacation.

The timing of the coach’s return from holiday points to a meeting with Jelloul Ainouch, FRMF’s fund secretary, to inform him about the football authority’s decision, the sources argued.

The official announcement of the contract disengagement between FRMF and Halilhodzic will be finalized after FRMF president Fouzi Lekjaa returns to Morocco, they said.

Lekjaa is currently in Tanzania to participate in a CAF meeting in his capacity as a member of the African football authority’s executive board.

Moroccan sport websites and social media have in recent weeks been buzzing with reports about Halilhodzic’s imminent departure from his post as the coach of the Atlas Lions, Morocco’s national football team.

The Bosnian coach’s feud with a number of key players, namely Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui, has been cited in many circles as one of the main reasons for the Atlas Lions’ half-decent performances in recent months.

In particular, Halilhodzic’s tension with Ziyech has put the coach under the radar of critics and the frustration of Moroccan fans for much of the past year.

It remains to be seen whether the FRMF will confirm the news or deny it again as has been the case on several other occasions since the Moroccan public started demanding that Halilhodzic be sacked following Morocco’s dismal performance at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.

In July, FRMF denied reports that it was considering hiring former Wydad coach Walid Regragui to Halilhodzic ahead of Morocco’s participation in the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.