Morocco head coach Walid Regragui believes his job is not under threat ahead of his side’s semifinal clash against Nigeria at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament, SportPremi reports.
The former Moroccan defender has overseen remarkable improvements in charge of the Atlas Lions since his arrival in 2022.
He guided the country to fourth place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which represents the highest-ever finish by an African country in the competition.
Regragui has now guided Morocco to a first AFCON semifinal appearance in 22 years after victory over Cameroon in the quarterfinals and will lead the nation against Nigeria in their last four encounter on Wednesday night.
The hosts have enjoyed an impressive home tournament so far, winning four of their five games so far – the only exception being a 1-1 draw against Mali during the group stages.
The Atlas Lions led by Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz, who leads the Golden boot race with five goals, have recorded wins over Comoros, Zambia, Tanzania and Cameroon.
Regragui speaks ahead of Nigeria clash
Speaking in his prematch conference ahead of the clash against Nigeria, Regragui expressed that his concentration is fully fixed on taking Morocco beyond the next round of the tournament.
“Every coach knows he must be prepared for the sack if he doesn’t win. But I don’t think about that… I’m not afraid of being sacked”, Regragui stated.
The Morocco head coach also hailed the fans support at the tournament, refusing claims the Atlas Lions are being favoured by officials at the tournament.
“We’re the team to beat. As the team to beat, people will try to find all sorts of reasons to say Morocco has an advantage. The only advantage that Morocco has at this Africa Cup is playing in front of 65,000 spectators. The rest is on the field, we speak on the field.
Many people want to believe or make others believe that we have advantages from the referees. Personally, I saw penalties that could have been awarded to us. As for the referees, I never talk about the referee”, he added.
However, he acknowledged the threat posed by Nigeria and expects a difficult contest in Rabat in the semifinal clash.
“Ndidi’s absence will help us, but when you have Osimhen, Lookman, and Iwobi, and when you see their bench, they might change their plan, although I consider that unlikely,” Regragui told reporters.
“We need to concentrate and win our duels, and not retreat like we did against Cameroon, because they could punish us.
“In the second half, we need to raise our level so as not to let Nigeria breathe and get back into the game or maintain their technical strength”, the Morocco head coach concluded.
Morocco and Nigeria will face-off tonight in Rabat, with the winner advancing to face either Senegal or Egypt in the 2025 AFCON final.
