This is why Vahid Halilhodzic was sacked
The main reason for the dismissal of the former Bosnian technician, Vahid Halilhodzic, from the national team comes down, in particular, to his obstinacy in not calling on players playing in the major world championships, indicated the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa.
In a press release published on its official website, the Federation stressed that the separation with the Bosnian coach, a few months before the start of the World Cup, was done amicably.
The Federation explained that the breach of contract has its source in “differences of views between the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the coach of the National Team A”, without going into more details.
These differences between the coach and the FRMF were known in advance, since the Moroccan public also had the same grievances against the Bosnian.
The president of the Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, notably returned in an interview on the question. He said he had made it clear to the coach that he did not share his opinion regarding his choice not to call up certain players, who are, moreover, the headliners of the national team.
“The national team cannot exclude top Moroccan footballers who play for teams around the world, whatever the reason. This feeling was also shared by the public and the players themselves.Fouzi Lekjaa told Spanish news agency Efe on Friday, without naming names.
This is in particular the case of Hakim Ziyech, 29, who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League and who had announced his international retirement because of the coach who voluntarily put him on the sidelines without providing any tangible explanation. .
Hakim Ziyech’s announcement provoked a thunderous reaction from Atlas Lions supporters and critics fell on Vahid Halilhodzic like a cleaver.
The FRMF sentence was expected given that even Fouzi Lekjaa wanted the best Moroccan players to be able to return to Mountakhab.
On August 2, the Steering Committee of the governing body of Moroccan football even noted the urgent need to clean up the atmosphere in the locker rooms in order to provide the players with the best atmosphere to play in the next World Cup.
The Committee had on occasion pointed out “the need to create a serene and conducive atmosphere around the national team which is preparing to play the 2022 World Cup”.
Despite his positive record since 2019 with 20 wins, 7 draws and 3 losses, coach Halilhodzic, who allowed the Atlas Lions to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, had also disappointed when Morocco was eliminated from the CAN semi-final gates.
Note that coach Vahid is not a first of its kind? It is indeed the third time that he has landed on the eve of a World Cup. This happened with Côte d’Ivoire (2010) and Japan (2018), before Morocco in 2022. The only time he went through with the adventure was in 2014 with Algeria when the Fennecs were eliminated in the 8th by Germany who will eventually win this Brazilian World Cup.
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