Morocco’s disqualification from hosting and participating in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) continues to cause frustration and sadness among its national team players, as expressed by captain Mehdi Benatia in an interview with L’Équipe.
🗣️ Mehdi Benatia Speaks Out
“We are the first victims of this situation… We were very disappointed because we were keen to have a great CAN at home and show we could make our supporters happy.”
The Bayern Munich defender emphasized how much the team had hoped to shine on home soil. His remarks reflect a deep disappointment, not only over being disqualified but also at CAF’s response to Morocco’s request to postpone the tournament due to Ebola concerns at the time.
🇲🇦 Morocco’s Position:
Morocco requested a postponement of the tournament citing health and safety concerns related to the Ebola virus outbreak in parts of West Africa.
CAF refused, stripped Morocco of hosting rights, and disqualified them from the tournament.
Benatia reinforced:
“We are in total solidarity with our government and federation… As Moroccan citizens, safety and health come first.”
💥 Fallout:
National team morale took a big hit.
Players like Benatia had been gearing up for a rare chance to play a major tournament at home.
There was hope for a compromise with CAF, but that didn’t materialize.
📌 Summary:
🇲🇦 Morocco is out of CAN 2015 after refusing to host under the original dates.
🧍♂️ Benatia and his teammates feel victimized but remain supportive of their government’s decision.
The episode created a major rift between CAF and Morocco, raising questions about governance, flexibility, and health protocols in football administration.
Despite the setback, the unity shown between players, federation, and government stands as a strong message of national cohesion in difficult decisions.
