The Moroccan national football team lost to South Africa in a qualifying match for the African Cup of Nations on Saturday. The host team won the game 2-1 in the final score.

South Africa defeated Morocco early on in the match by scoring a goal. Throughout the remainder of the first half, the Moroccan squad encountered many difficulties and defensive slip-ups that almost led to a second goal for their opponents.

Morocco’s offensive efforts were ineffective the whole first half and did not offer a serious danger to South Africa’s goal. So, with the home team leading by one goal, the referee blew the whistle to signify the conclusion of the first half.

The Moroccan team struggled much more throughout the second half. South Africa extended their lead with a second goal within the first five minutes of the second half, replicating the conditions of the previous goal.

Hakim Ziyech succeeded in scoring a goal in the 60th minute, cutting Morocco’s deficit. However, crucial mistakes in the Moroccan defense during the final few minutes of the game allowed the South African squad to come close to scoring a third goal.

Morocco’s national team dropped to second place in Group 11 standings as a result of this loss, earning 6 points. The national team of South Africa increased their score to 7 points, which gave them the tournament lead.

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Walid Regragui, the head coach of Morocco, was named the “Best Arab and International Manager” on Sunday during a ceremony hosted by Sky News Arabia.

At “Legends Night 2023,” the Ramadan evening when the Abu Dhabi-based news channel celebrates and honors renowned sports legends, Regragui was presented with the trophy.

Former Wydad AC coach Regragui gave a speech during the event in which he thanked Muslims, Arabs, and Africans for their unwavering and persistent support of Morocco throughout the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

He emphasized that his goal was to show everyone that a team from Africa or the Middle East is capable of winning the World Cup. He emphasized, “With your trust and support, we will succeed.

Regragui reiterated that the Atlas Lions have the ability to become the first African and Arab team to win the international competition, saying “Next time, inshallah, we do it.”

He emphasized that his goal was to show everyone that a team from Africa or the Middle East is capable of winning the World Cup. He emphasized, “With your trust and support, we will succeed.

Regragui reiterated that the Atlas Lions have the ability to become the first African and Arab team to win the international competition, saying “Next time, inshallah, we do it.”

#وليد_الركراكي خلال تتويجه بجائزة أفضل مدرب: سنفوز بكأس العالم القادمة #المغرب #أسود_الأطلس #خيمة_سكاي pic.twitter.com/InsoyzeAj1

— سكاي نيوز عربية (@skynewsarabia) April 2, 2023

He also expressed his gratitude to King Mohammed VI for his support of the national team during their journey to Qatar.

The Moroccan team, led by Regragui, overcame all odds and accomplished the unexpected in 2022, becoming the first Arab and African team to go to the World Cup semifinals.

In addition to ending a 36-year streak of failure to go past the round of 16, Morocco defeated and eliminated some of the biggest football powers in the world, including Belgium, Spain, and Portugal.

After losing to Croatia in the third-place playoff, Morocco ultimately came in fourth. Nonetheless, football fans from all around the world praised the Moroccan national team for their bravery, with many of them crediting their triumph to Regragui’s excellent coaching and strategy.

In only a few months in the role, the globally acclaimed coach had already guided the team to unparalleled success, making him a national hero and the pride of millions of Moroccans around the world.

In addition to Regragui, the Moroccan Royal Football Federation (FRMF) was lauded during the awards ceremony and named the Best Arab Federation in appreciation of its accomplishments at the team and club levels.

Read Also: A bridge will finally link Morocco to Spain, not a tunnel

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A Madrid hotel employee has been arrested for racist comments posted on social networks against the Moroccan national football team, which is staying at the hotel, Spanish police said on Monday, according to Le Figaro.

The 27-year-old Spanish man was arrested at the hotel around midnight on Sunday. He faces hate crime charges, a municipal police spokeswoman said. The police came to the hotel after a complaint from the hotel’s management about racist statements posted online, the same source added, without giving further details.

Spanish media published photos they said the man had posted on Instagram showing several members of the Moroccan team in the hotel’s restaurant, along with racist remarks.

https://twitter.com/TFT_Morocco/status/1640223914256105473?s=20

Asked about the incident in a press conference, coach Walid Regragui preferred not to blame the individual even more: “Many players and the Moroccan public have talked about the racism we have suffered. He’s a 19-20-year-old kid, we won’t dwell on that. In our religion, we are taught forgiveness and we forgive him.”

Regragui also hopes that in this way, the person who wrote these words will realise that what he described is completely wrong: “The best example in this Ramadan period is to forgive him, and he will understand that what he thinks of Muslims is not the reality. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Morocco will face Peru in a friendly on Tuesday at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano at 7.30 pm.

Read Also: Morocco-Brazil: International press amazed by the Lions’ performance against the Seleção 

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Walid Regragui, coach of the national team, spoke at a press conference on Monday about racist and anti-Islamic content published on social networks by an employee of the five-star Eurostars hotel in Madrid.

In response to a question from reporters, Regragui said the young employee should be forgiven for posting illegal photos of Atlas Lions during the dinner and including racist and anti-Islamic slurs. “We don’t accept what he did, but we are Muslims and we want to show people that in Islam you have to forgive,” Regragui said. He added that the boy was young, about 19 or 20 years old, and would not take responsibility for his actions.

Regragui cited the holy month of Ramadan and the values ​​of Muslims and the Moroccan people to explain his decision to induct the employee. Regragui suggested: “We reject racism, but he probably never left his country to know the difference, he didn’t know what Islam was and he never met an Arab.”

The coach also emphasized the importance of showing forgiveness and invited the young employee to experience Moroccan and Islamic culture firsthand. “We forgive him. If he wants to come to our house and see how Moroccans and Muslims are doing, how Ramadan is going on and how he feels, he is welcome.”

Read Also: Morocco forced to restrict tomato exports

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The Egyptian U17 national team could participate in the African Cup of Nations, to be held in Algeria next month, if the Moroccan national team decides to boycott the event, a member of the board of directors of the Egyptian Football Association said. Ehab Elkomy told the Egyptian press that “if Morocco renounces its participation in the Nations Cup, the Egyptian national team is ready to take its place in the tournament“.

The Egyptian official refused to explain “the reasons” why Morocco may boycott this edition of the CAN of the category. However, he said that the Egyptian U17 team “has promising players” and will be able to “achieve good results” if they participate in this tournament. The Egyptian team was eliminated in the previous stages after losing to Libya and Morocco despite beating Tunisia.

Morocco was placed in Group B of the African Cup of Nations for Under-17s (CAN U17). It will play in this group alongside Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia, for this CAN 2023 scheduled from April 29 to May 19 in Algiers, Constantine and Annaba, Algeria.

Ehab Elkomy’s media outing comes as Morocco did not take part in the 2023 edition of the African Nations Championship for local players (CHAN), which took place last January in Algeria, after the host country refused to open its airspace to the Royal Air Maroc (RAM) plane that was to transport the Moroccan national team.

Read Also: CHAN 2022: The CAF does not sanction Morocco

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Salim El Jebari, the talented striker of Los Rojiblancos, has decided to play for the Atlas Lions at the expense of La Roja. He is expected to meet with Moroccan national team coach Walid Regragui later this week.

The young footballer had been called up by the Spanish U-19 team for the two friendly matches against Norway, but approached the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to withdraw from the call-up.

https://twitter.com/ActuFootAfrique/status/1628425027526828038?s=20

The reason is that Salim decided to play for Morocco, the country of his parents’ birth and of which he is a national, following the example of other footballers who have made the same decision, such as Achraf Hakimi of PSG or Munir El Haddadi, now at Getafe and who has even become an A international with Spain.

Informed sources told Hesport that coach Regragui has set an appointment to meet the Rojiblancos striker later this week, after being convinced of his technical abilities. It is expected that the player will gain the confidence of the Moroccan coach in the coming period, thus becoming one of the pioneers of the “Atlas Lions” offensive line.

According to the same sources, Salim El Jebari informed the RFEF of his decision, a few days ago, after the coach of the Spanish U19 national team invited him to participate in two friendly matches against Norway, affirming the choice of his home country.

The same sources revealed that Moussa El Habchi, in charge of analysing performances within the technical staff of the first national team, met this week with three Moroccan talents in Belgium, mandated by Regragui, with a view to summoning them to the next preparatory camp. These include defenders Ismael Kandouss and Mehdi Boukamir, professionals at Union Saint-Gilloise and Charleroi SC.

Read Also: Moroccan national football team nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards

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It is now official, Morocco, semi-finalists of the 2022 World Cup, will face Brazil, quarter-finalists, and Peru in friendly matches next March, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) announced in a statement.

https://twitter.com/EnMaroc/status/1625862417396772865?s=20

“Following the international influence of Moroccan football and its fervent supporters throughout the world after the remarkable performance of the Atlas Lions in the finals of the 22nd FIFA World Cup Qatar-2022, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation has decided to schedule in Morocco the first friendly match of the Moroccan National Selection A,” said the governing board of national football in a statement published on its official website.

According to the FRMF, the friendly match between the Atlas Lions and the Seleçao will take place on Saturday, March 25, at the Grand Stade of Tangier at 10 pm.

Seleção Brasileira fará primeiro amistoso de 2023 contra o Marrocos, no dia 25 de março, no Estádio Ibn Batouta, em Tanger.

Ramon Menezes, que comandou o elenco vencedor do Sul-Americano Sub-20 de forma invicta, será o técnico interino.

Saiba mais em: https://t.co/BEnnTQIJYi

— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) February 15, 2023

Walid Regragui’s men will then face the Peruvian team on Tuesday 28 March at the Cívitas Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, at 9.30pm.

https://twitter.com/SeleccionPeru/status/1619084883187630080?s=20

Morocco’s national team is the 11th-best football team in the latest FIFA ranking. The Atlas Lions are also the first-best team in Africa, ahead of Senegal, Tunisia, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Egypt is sixth in the list, while Algeria, ranked 7th on the continent, is followed by Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Ghana.

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His Majesty King Mohammed VI accompanied by H.R.H. Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and H.R.H. Prince Moulay Rachid, received on Tuesday in the Throne Room at the Royal Palace in Rabat, the members of the National Football Team, after their brilliant performance in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

This audience reflects the high solicitude of His Majesty the King has never ceased to support young people and the particular interest that the Sovereign grants to the sports sector in general and to Football in particular. It follows the historic and unprecedented feat achieved by the National Team which reached the semi-finals, the first and most resounding success of its kind of Moroccan, Arab and African Football, in the finals of this global sporting event.

During this audience, the Sovereign awarded the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Mr. Fouzi Lakjaâ, the coach of the National Team, Mr. Walid Regragui, and the players of the National Team, who were accompanied by their mothers, with Royal Wissams (medals).

H.M. the King decorated with the Wissam Al Arch of 2nd class (Commander), Mr. Fouzi Lakjaâ and Walid Regragui.

The Sovereign decorated with the Wissam Al Arch of 3rd class (Officer) the players of the national team: Mr. Ghanem Saïss, Mr. Yassine Bounou, Mr. Achraf Hakimi, Mr. Noussair Mazraoui, Mr. Sofyan Amrabat, Mr. Nayef Aguerd (laureate of the Mohammed VI Academy of Football), Mr. Hakim Ziyech, and Mr. Azzedine Ounahi (laureate of the Mohammed VI Academy of Football)

H.M. the King decorated with the same Wissam, MM. Abderrazak Hamdallah, Anass Zaroury, Abdelhamid Sabiri, Mounir El Kajoui, Ilias Chair, Zakaria Aboukhlal, Selim Amallah, Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, Sofiane Boufal, Jawad El-Yamiq, Youssef En-Nesyri (laureate of the Mohammed VI Football Academy), Achraf Dari, Walid Cheddira, Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti ( laureate of the Mohammed VI Football Academy), Bilel El Khanouss, Badr Benoun, Yahia Attiat-Allah El Idrissi and Yahya Jabrane.

In acknowledgment of the outstanding job completed, H.M. the King has additionally issued His High Instructions for the granting of Royal decorations to the whole technical and medical personnel of the national team.

Afterwards, H.M. the King, may God assist Him, accompanied by H.R.H. Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and H.R.H. Prince Moulay Rachid, posed for a souvenir photo with the members of the national team and the mothers of the players present. On this occasion, the members of the national team presented H.M. the King with souvenirs as an expression of their gratitude to the Sovereign for His support throughout this world competition.

The reception by H.M. the King, may God assist Him, of the players accompanied by their mothers is a tribute to these Moroccan women who have taken care to instill in their children the values of patriotism, sacrifice and national belonging. It is also an expression of the place that the Sovereign grants to the Moroccan woman as a pillar of the family and society in general.

The members of the National Team had returned to the Kingdom late Tuesday afternoon. The inhabitants of Rabat, Salé and other cities of the Kingdom have given them a warm welcome. Thus, since their arrival at the airport of Rabat-Salé, and throughout their journey, the Atlas Lions were given a standing ovation by a public that came in large numbers to cheer them and salute their courage and fighting spirit.

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The Royal plane carrying the Moroccan National Team coming from Qatar, will land at Rabat Salé airport on Monday, December 19, 2022. A popular greeting will be organized along the road leading to the Royal Palace in Rabat.

They will be received by H.M. King Mohammed VI, accompanied by the staff of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, headed by Fouzi Lekjaa.

After the reception, an honorary dinner will be held in honor of the players, and then H.M. the King will be kind enough to present the members of the Moroccan national team with medals of High Royal Honors.

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The third and final round of Group F for the Qatar 2022 World Cup will feature the national team of Morocco taking on Canada.

The first training sessions for the national teams are scheduled to begin on Monday at 4:30 p.m. (GMT +1), on the Al-Duhail Stadium grounds.

The Moroccan national team dominated Belgium 2-0 on Saturday, making “History” in the process. Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal scored the goals during the match played at Al-Thumama Stadium.

The National team of Morocco can and should fulfill a great achievement to advance to the second round of the group stage, where they will face Canada at 16:00 GMT +1 on Thursday.

With four points, the Moroccan team is in first place in Group F, chasing only Croatia on goal differential, Belgium (3 points), and Canada (0 points).

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