Morocco, Regragui challenges France: “Africa must no longer be satisfied, we want to win the World Cup” – Football
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DOHA- At the most important press conference of his career, before the semi-final of the World Cup against world champion France, Walid Regragui, who was born in France 47 years ago, presented himself as the true new protagonist of the World Cup, which he had arrived at as a perfect unknown to the vast majority of football fans around the world. And the Morocco coach, in 38 minutes of almost monologue without a single platitude or cliche, took center stage in the only possible way: by telling the truth even when he tackled the most thorny issues. This is the summary of his words
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The world Cup
“We want it. We have a lot of ambition. We’ve come this far and now we want the World Cup final. We’re still hungry, the players are still hungry. But above all, we want to put Africa on top of the world.”
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The effort
“The state of mind is what counts, rather than fatigue. We have confidence and we are not tired, it is unthinkable to be tired in a semifinal of a World Cup. Tiredness is not allowed. We have run like crazy so far and we will continue to do so , keep calm”.
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The fans
“Everyone has understood by now what a Moroccan fan is, seeing the images from all over the world: he exudes passion, like the team. And those who have arrived here have made great sacrifices to be there. At least there will be twenty thousand and we will play in home? We will hear from them, they have helped us and they will help us”.
The injured
“We have many injured players, but no one is out yet. As I said from the first game, there is a medical staff and until the last moment they will try to make everyone available. I can only repeat one thing: whoever is 100% will play “.
A changed mentality
“Changing mentality: that was my first goal, this is also why we came here. Just be satisfied, no African team has to do it anymore. I told the players: if we’re among the top four in the world, there’s a reason. We play against the bigger players, but we probably had the most difficult path.”
The Mbappé-Hakimi duel
“Achraf knows Mbappé perfectly, there is no need to study particular moves. As always, we will play collectively, also because unfortunately for us, there is not only Mbappé. And in any case, Hakimi is one of the best in the world in his role”.
The secret of the group
“There’s only one thing: team spirit, it’s the most important thing of all in football. You win with that and of course with the players, the rest is just talk.”
Born in France
“I have dual nationality, I was born in France. But I’m not upset or conditioned by these things. It can concern more my family, my friends, I’m a coach and I have to lead my team to win. The message it’s always the same: you play for Morocco. Then, however it ends, we’ll celebrate, I think they’ll all go together to party on the Champs Elysées.”
The European press
“I think we annoyed the European press a little, because it’s not the same anymore. Those who were prepared for the usual label, that of Africans who play well but then go home, had to change their minds, that time is over. We we want to win the World Cup, ball possession doesn’t give points. We want to win for all developing countries in football.”
The compliments
“I was and am pleased with them, but above all the players deserve them. I was able to quickly create a group and I thought about how to win. I thought it was right to bring families here to create the best psychological conditions. Then there’s it’s the desire to play for Morocco. The national team is different from a club, you have to take that into account.”
The tactic
“Tactically we tried to field what would make us as effective as possible in the shortest possible time. The World Cup is a short competition, it doesn’t wait for you. We are all Moroccans on the staff, I also included a Spanish trainer, because the I like the Spanish preparation, we work a lot on the ball.”
The future and the academies
“The fundamental thing is to have created the academy in Morocco, which is part of the king’s project, his majesty’s role is essential: the stadiums, the new training fields have served to create living forces in the country. It worked”.
The opportunity not to be missed
“We are only focused on this semi-final. We are here to concentrate. We are ready for anything, we may never get an opportunity like this again. The moment is now”.
The flags
“You ask me if many have had difficulty understanding players who come from the diaspora and I don’t, why am I like them? I answer that these things matter up to a certain point. I grew up in a popular neighborhood, but I don’t like this rhetoric. Yes, it’s more difficult to break through starting from the banlieue, we were twice as hungry, but that’s not the point, it’s not enough. I arrived here with my skills, my diplomas, my curriculum”.
The Arab world
“We play for Morocco, for Africa, but also for our Maghreb brothers: Tunisians, Algerians, Libyans, we have the opportunity to take Africa to the top.”
Universal football
“Football is beautiful because at the end of the match everyone has their own technical judgment. But my idea of football is that it unites, that it sends out messages: what happened in Brussels, the accidents, mustn’t happen. Football is a party” .
The culture of the country
“Here we represent Morocco and we are proud to have made the world understand our people, our culture, our love for our mothers and family. And of course our football, our great passion for this sport.”
The gift to the children
“If we can make children all over the world dream, it is truly a dream for us too. Ours is a magnificent country that has always shown respect for all peoples and all religions. If there is one thing about Moroccans it is unmistakably theirs, it’s the ability to give to others, without expecting anything in return. For some it’s a flaw, for me it’s a quality”.
The market
“When you play in a World Cup, everyone looks at you and it’s inevitable that Morocco’s players are being watched a lot at the moment. But now we’re focused only on this tournament, then there will be the agents. Now nobody has to get distracted from the goal.”
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