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Join on Telegram Morocco’s Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic said today that he is “over” the issue of Moroccan internationals Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui.
The two have previously taken to social media to decline Morocco’s call to join the Atlas Lions in upcoming playoffs against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Halilhodzic confirmed that an invitation was officially sent to the two players and that he respects “their choice.”
Both Moroccan-Dutch players, Ziyech and Mazraoui had a rift with Halilhodzic over behavior-related issues, according to the BosnianDuring the press conference, Halilhodzic said he “will never talk about the issue again.”
Life was tough for the Bosnian coach, following Morocco’s close knockout against Egypt from this year’s African Cup of Nations quarter-finals. Halilhodzic was subject to a severe backlash from Moroccan football fans, condemning his “bad management” of the national team.
Some fans have called on the Moroccan Royal Federation of Football (FRMF) to immediately dismiss Halilhodzic from his position, while others pledged for a solution to call missing players back to rejoin the squad.
Morocco to prepare in best conditions
Halilhodzic said that King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan government are supporting Morocco’s Atlas Lions. A delegation from the government is expected to pay a visit to the training camp soon, according to the Bosnian.
Morocco’s head of government Aziz Akhannouch expressed the government’s support for the national football team in his opening of the government’s council today. “As Head of Government, I can only express, on behalf of all the members of the Cabinet, our support and backing for the national team in the next two-legged games against DR Congo on 25 and 29 March as part of the qualifiers for this year’s World Cup scheduled in Qatar,” he said.
Halilhodzic seemed positive about the team’s chances of qualifying for the Qatar FIFA World Cup, saying that his “objective is to qualify and we have the means to do so (…) the Moroccan team has never achieved results like those achieved recently and the statistics prove it.”
Speaking about Morocco’s training program, Halilhodzic said that a closed training camp will take place on March 20 when national team players join up with the squad. Morocco’s Atlas Lions will travel to Kinshasa on March 22, with the coach affirming he will focus on ensuring the player’s adapt to the artificial turf pitch at the Martyrs Stadium in Congo’s capital Kinshasa.
The team will immediately travel back to Casablanca after the first leg, to prepare for the second leg which takes place March 29 at Casablanca’s Mohammed V Stadium.
The first leg will take place on March 25 at 4 p.m (Morocco time) at the Martyrs Stadium in Congo’s capital Kinshasa
