When the Moroccan Football Association instructed coach Walid Regragui to supervise the den of the Atlas Lions, just two months before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, many in the country had doubts, amid questions about the extent of the correctness of the move.
This fear was expressed, given the “critical” timing of the appointment decision, and because Regragui does not bring behind him what the critics calculated to be sufficient experience required, even if the man did well with Wydad Casablanca, and then, before that, a player in the Moroccan national team.
Regragui participated as a player in the most prominent station for Moroccan football during the last two decades, when he played the final match of the African Cup of Nations that ended with the Tunisian national team in 2004, and then the Moroccans were accustomed to appointing foreign names described as glamorous to take over the coaching of the national team, while bringing in a person from the local tournament seemed closer. Whats to "gamble".
But the widespread discontent with the former Bosnian coach, Wahid Khalilozic, was at its strongest, after the Moroccans saw that he had fueled the situation inside the den, prompting a weighty player like Hakim Ziyech to leave international play and refrain from returning, and then, the Moroccans opened their arms to welcome any new coach, As long as the move achieves an irrevocable divorce with a coach they accused of provoking them.
At the end of last August, Al-Ragraki (46 years old) appeared, and he had already been appointed to coach the Atlas Lions, on a mission fraught with difficulties, then the World Cup came, and Walid, who was born and raised in France, was able to undermine the saying “the neighborhood singer does not sing,” because he was really able To make Moroccans sing and dance, young and old, and he made an unprecedented achievement in Arab and African football, which is reserving a valuable seat in the gold square.
recipe "intention"
It is known for Walid his aversion to the speech of official courtesies, and his preference for speaking frankly and direct nature, and that is what made his statements and responses during press conferences receive wide turnout and circulation in Morocco, even if they did not escape criticism among those who saw him as closer to impulsiveness.
Walid does not believe much in something called performance during matches, because the most important thing for him is not displaying playing skills and virtuosity on the green rectangle, then the players go out with “hidden nostalgia” and bite their fingers in regret, because the lesson is in the conclusions of matters, that is, in the result, “qualification or exclusion? And the rest are just details.
Thanks to this "spherical philosophy", Walid instilled a new spirit in the Atlas Lions, so they snatched one victory after another in the World Cup, even if the big opponents took possession of the ball, but it was a useless possession that goes "in vain" in every confrontation.
And when Walid appeared to the Moroccans, speaking with an Arabic accent influenced by his birth and upbringing in France, he recommended them to "intention", that is, determination and confidence, believing in that, that the players do not lack anything if they put confidence in themselves and fight desperately to raise the flag of their country high.
Contract organizer
The Moroccan national team already includes senior players who participate in the strongest European leagues, Ashraf Hakimi plays in Paris Saint-Germain, Hakim Ziyech is a player in Chelsea and Naseer Mazraoui is in Bayern Munich, while Lions goalkeeper Yassin Bono was crowned with the “Zamora” award for best goalkeeper in the Spanish League in 2022 .
But these names were like scattered pearls that need a regular contract composed among themselves in order to appear bright and pleasing to the eye, and that was achieved for them under the leadership of Al-Rakraki, who raised the ceiling of ambition high and believed in his players.
Walid believed strongly in the capabilities of his players while he continued to show great respect for opponents, convinced that he would face the top players in the world, whether in the group stage with Canada, Belgium and Croatia, or in the price round with Spain, and in the quarter with Portugal.
Walid did not hide his belief in the status of the audience and the fans, especially when they chanted "Sir", meaning "secret", while urging the players to move forward.
Walid's fans say that he turned the team into something like a family, as he tends to selflessness and sets aside boasting, and when he was asked at the end of a decisive match about winning, he attributed the credit to the players in the first place because they are behind everything, then Sofiane Lamrabet came to him, to correct and confirm gratitude and praise. On the work done by the Rerakaki in a few weeks, because the ship does not go without a captain.
As the lions face the roosters, next Wednesday, amid hopes that they will pass to the final match, many Moroccans say that Walid performed the miracle and made them very happy, and they are deeply grateful to him, whatever the outcome.
And if many people show contentment and satisfaction with what has been achieved, Walid confirms his determination to go as far as possible, without reconciling with what has been achieved, in the belief that it is not the destiny of Africans and Arabs to always be content with what is little and symbolic in the world.
Source: skynewsarabia.com