The Bosnian technician from the Atlas Lions crystallizes the tensions ten months before the World Cup for which Morocco has great ambitions. In question, a falling out with two national stars.
“Halihodzic, head of mule”, “Halihodzic, thanked at the end of April?”, “Halihodzic settles accounts with his detractors” … Recently, the Moroccan press as well as social networks are buzzing with information, rumors and other news on the situation of national coach Vahid Halihodzic.
So much so that the future of the Bosnian technician on the bench of the Atlas Lions which he has just qualified for the World Cup, with the added bonus of congratulations from King Mohammed VI, is no longer at all assured.
The former coach of Côte d’Ivoire is no longer in the odor of sanctity in Moroccan national sports opinion, despite his encouraging results with the Reds and Greens. He is notably credited with 18 wins, seven draws and only two defeats in 27 games played since his appointment in August 2019.
Charges and counter-charges
At the helm of this sword of Damocles now suspended above the head of the one whose contract runs until 2023, is the situation of Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui, respectively player of Chelsea FC in London and Ajax in ‘Amsterdam. The two have been excluded from the selection since June 2021 on the decision of Halihodzic who accuses them of lack of discipline. The first notably guilty, according to the coach, of having used an injury as an excuse to refuse to play during a match preparing for the qualifying campaign for the World Cup.
In the meantime, the two undesirables, who dispute the coach’s accusations, have given up wearing the Moroccan jersey until further notice. A decision unchanged despite their pre-selection last March for the double-confrontation of the World Cup once morest the DRC.
Controversial releases
The qualification of Morocco for this deadline scheduled in Qatar will not have made the Ziyech-Mazraoui problem obsolete. On the contrary, the situation has worsened with a large part of Moroccan public opinion who wants their reinstatement for the competition next November. Never mind if Vahid Halihodzic swore never to speak of them once more. The subject is all the more significant as the boss of the Moroccan Football Federation recently took up the cause of the two players.
“The team must have the best technical support to achieve the objectives set. Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui are national team players. They remain attached to their homeland”declared the president of the federation Fouzi Lekjaa on April 6, while adding that the coach was not essential.
Is the fate of the latter already sealed? The interested party, currently on vacation in France, affirms in any case not to fear anything. “I was made of Jablanica granite”launched the former striker known for his intransigence to a Croatian media, on April 16, 2022.