Waleed Al-Rakraki: players will strive to bring joy to moroccans again

In an interview with CNN, the coach of the national football team, Waleed Al-Rakraki, outlined the aspirations of the Atlas Lions in the Africa Cup of Nations, emphasizing the team’s goal to advance as far as possible in the competition, hoping to secure Morocco’s second continental title.

The national coach affirmed that achieving this feat would not be easy, but the players “will do everything in their power” to bring happiness once again to the Moroccan people.

CNN acknowledged that Morocco has now become part of the “elite” in global football after its historic performance in the recent World Cup competitions.

The channel noted that all eyes are on the Moroccan national football team and its coach, Waleed Al-Rakraki, more than a year after the remarkable performance in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

In an interview conducted at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé just before the continental competition and aired on Friday as part of the segment “African Voices Making a Change,” the channel stated that the team is among the favorites to win the new edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The national coach emphasized the significance Morocco attaches to the Africa Cup of Nations, stating, “In the training center, the Mohammed VI Football Complex, there is a picture of the national team that was the last to win the Africa Cup in 1976.

Every day when the players come here, they look at this picture that inspires them.”

“As a coach, my goal is not to remove this picture but to place another picture here for the upcoming winners,” he added, expressing that accepting the position of the national coach three months before the start of the World Cup is due to the love he holds for his country and the dream every coach has of participating in the World Cup.

Al-Rakraki, who received the award for the Best African Coach, stressed that Morocco should regularly qualify for the World Cup, not ruling out the possibility that an African team could win the World Cup someday.

Regarding his personal achievements, he stated that he doesn’t give major importance to individual accomplishments as much as he cares about the team.

He added that numerous individual awards, whether from CAF, the Ballon d’Or, or FIFA, are presented today, and it’s beautiful to see Africans like him receiving these awards.

However, the focus should primarily be on continent-wide victories and shedding light on Moroccan football.

Morocco will face its South African counterpart in the Round of 16 on Tuesday at 9 p.m. at the Laurent Boko Stadium.