Moroccan National Football team caught in the crossfire

By Rachid Rhouni

Morocco News Tribune

El Jadida, Morocco–In the last days, Moroccan football national team was facing the ordeal of going through the group stage of the African cup of nations in South Africa. Within an active pressure from both opponent teams and the public opinion, the Moroccan national team seemed to be living a great turmoil.

The team captain Nadir El Miaghri, after the match conference opposing Cap Verde, bitterly stated that “no team strategy should work for the impending match but only self-determination”, showing thus a sentiment of distrust within his teammates, to that the team manager Rachid Taoussi helplessly tried to build some trust among the group and into the managerial job the technical team has been trying to reinstate.

The Lions of the Atlas as widely nicknamed in the country, have lost locally and in the African continent most of their reputation, especially the one acquired in the glorious 80’s, which the national team seems to be trying to restore since then.

With very talented names such as Belhanda, Berrada and the likes the new face of the Moroccan team did not seem so bright, though. The national team Manager seemed to be in some awkward position, especially when his players offered some poor performances in the first game when facing less notorious teams, and were hardly able to get draws. Mr. Taoussi, however, continued to put his trust into his team selectees and insisted that the national team still had all its chances of getting through this group stage with opponent teams going on equal opportunities.

The highly charged atmosphere surrounding the national team seemed, after the first game, to be on the verge of disrupting with a looming disqualification. There were already some signs of internal conflicts which emerged to the public, showing that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation is not so much on stable grounds.

Many reports indicated that the National manager had huge problems bringing back former team captain Hussein Kharja, who simply did not return back the manager’s phone calls.

The Federation’s counselor Nouredine Neibet is said to have enmity with the former team captain. This resulted, according to news reports, in the refusal of Kharja to join the national squad.

However, Kharja’s case unfortunately does not seem to be an isolated case as full-back Christian Baser and mid-fielder Adel Taarabat have, according to the manager himself, in an interview given to the sports news channel Arriadia, preferred not show any interest for the national team.

This team denial underlined a gloomy spirit within team organization altogether and foreshadowed the team’s disqualification.

It is to be noted that the Moroccan national team did not qualify for the last world cup 2010 in South Africa and that the already battered reputation of the national has still to be improved.

More and more prolific number videos of defamation to the Moroccan Football Federation and the national team are invading the net.

This supplementary failure is to make loud the public opinion’s uproar of discontent. This cry of disappointment only seems to melt down within the existing unrest in the country with an ever increase of youth joblessness and the economic crisis’ effects.

All views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Morocco News Tribune’s editorial policy