Walid Regragui, the coach of the national team, revealed Morocco First for football, the truth of the news that indicated that he stood in the way of the “Atlas Lions” defender Nayef Aguerd and his colleague Azzedine Ounahi, to prevent them from going to the Arab leagues.
Attractive offers have arrived. Nayef Aqrad Azzedine Ounahi was also offered by some Arab leagues, but the West Ham defender chose to move to Real Sociedad in Spain, while Ounahi chose to move to Panathinaikos in Greece, which raised doubts about the coach’s interference in their choices.
“No, on the contrary, I do not interfere in the players’ choices,” Regragui said in a press conference held on Thursday evening, before facing Gabon on Friday, in the first round of the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Atlas Lions coach said: “If I prevent a player from moving to a certain tournament, he will tell me when I do not call him up, you bear the responsibility, so I am far from the matter, and I cannot prevent someone, but on the other hand I only help them.”
Regragui continued: “We have Soufiane Rahimi, in Al Ain, UAE, in the Gulf Championship. He shone and maintained his level, then continued to shine in the AFC Champions League, and here he is with us today, participating with the Olympic team in the Paris 2024 Olympics.”
Regragui, who led Morocco to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, continued: “The only criterion for me in the Moroccan national team is the level of that player at the time I want, and I cannot deny that I wish for young players like Achraf Hakimi to play in big European clubs and participate in the Champions League.”
Is Regragui against Sofyan Amrabat’s move to Fenerbahce?
Regragui also spoke about the transfer of his star, Sofyan Amrabat, from Fiorentina to Fenerbahce, saying: “Amrabat’s transfer to Fenerbahce is not a setback, because it concerns a big club in Turkey. We had problems with some players with their clubs, such as Nayef Aguerd and Azzedine Ounahi, but thank God they changed their clubs.”
He said: “In the attack, we also have many attacking options. I will make my choices according to the players’ readiness in the current preparations, and during the match, we can make changes according to the confrontation.”
