Moroccan national team coach Waleed Al-Rakraki expressed that the dynamics of managing the Africa Cup of Nations competition have changed with the progression from the group stage to the knockout phase.
He emphasized the team’s determination not to make any mistakes as they face South Africa in the round of 16, stating, “Today, we have no room for errors.
Any negative result means our return home.
We are motivated to qualify, even though the match against South Africa will be challenging.”
Speaking at the press conference ahead of tomorrow’s encounter with South Africa, Al-Rakraki preferred not to dwell on the past, highlighting, “Everyone is aware of our history in the AFCON.
We will try to win the title because it has become the dream of the entire country.
Today, we have an exceptional team.
It’s not easy to advance past the Round of 16, but we will do our best to achieve our goal.”
Al-Rakraki emphasized the respect for the South African national team, especially since they are the only team that defeated the Moroccan team after the World Cup.
He added, “Today, we are not the favorites to win. We respect all teams, and we know that ‘Bafana Bafana’ will pose challenges for us.”
The national coach stressed that the Moroccan team is ready for all possible scenarios in tomorrow’s match, including playing extra time, stating, “We underwent a physical recovery process for five days to be in the best condition and ready for all possible scenarios.”
Expressing gratitude towards the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for lifting the sanctions imposed on him, Al-Rakraki remarked, “Until matters are understood, the punishment issued against me by the Disciplinary Committee was based on me holding the player’s hand and asking him to look.
The Appeals Committee graciously accepted this action and considered that it did not deserve such a severe penalty.”
Commenting on Egypt’s elimination by the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday, Al-Rakraki stated, “I don’t care about that.
It’s true that it was disappointing because the Egyptian team is our brothers, but we are also happy for the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am focusing only on Morocco.”
