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Fez – Morocco’s national football team landed on January 2 in Yaounde, Cameroon, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled to take place between January 9 and February 6, 2022.
Morocco’s ambassador in Cameroon Mostapha Bouh and other diplomats from the Moroccan embassy received the Moroccan delegation.
Staying at the luxurious Mont Febe Hotel, the Atlas Lions will train on the annexed stadium Ahmadou Ahidjo. There, they will prepare for their friendly match against Burkina Faso expected to take place behind closed doors on January 4.
According to Moroccan newspaper Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF) has taken all the preventive measures to protect players from contracting the COVID-19 and its new variant Omicron.
FRMF sterilized the hotel rooms, changed the bedding, brought in its own kitchen staff, and demanded that the hotel’s employees be temporarily put on leave, Al Ahdath Al Maghribia reported.
Morocco’s national team is in high spirits and is determined to return home with positive results.
Tarik Tissoudali, who was recently called to the Atlas Lions squad to replace Abde Ezzalzouli, said: “I am happy to be here, the group is living well. We have a lot of qualities and I hope we will win the Cup. We will give everything and make you proud.”
Read also: Halilhodzic Calls Up Two Players to Join Atlas Lions AFCON 2021 Campaign
While Morocco is among the favorites of this year’s AFCON, the Atlas Lions’ arrival in Cameroon comes amid debates over some of their coach’s choices.
Many fans were left dismayed by the exclusion of Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech and Ajax right-back Noussair Mazraoui from Morocco’s AFCON list.
Vahid Halilhodzic, the Atlas Lions’ Bosnian coach, has suggested he left the two players out because of discipline issues. Still, many fans feel Ziyech and Mazroui should have been selected because they bring more depth and vibrancy to Morocco’s game.
But the team’s latest minor controversy was the last-minute decision by FC Barcelona wonderkid Abde Ezzalzouli to withdraw from Morocco’s AFCON squad.
The 20-years-old winger initially said he was proud and excited to be on Morocco’s AFCON list, but latest reports suggest he now wants to focus on his Barcelona career and possibly join Morocco’s squad after AFCON.
Despite these high-profile absences, Morocco’s national team remains one of the strongest in Africa, with renowned players like Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saiss, Yassine Bounou, and Youssef En Nesyri, among many others.
Now ranked as the second best team in Africa after a spotless record in the first round of the World Cup qualifiers, the Moroccan squad knows they have to do better after their disappointing display at the 2019 AFCON.
According to dispatches from the team, Romain Saiss and his teammates want to be rid of their underachievers’ tag in Africa’s most prestigious tournament and secure the title that has been absent from Morocco’s trophy closet for almost 46 years.
