Here is the extraordinary backstory to Morocco’s tournament. Three months before it began, they parted ways with Walid Regragui — the man who had delivered the greatest achievement in their footballing history, Morocco’s run to the 2022 semi-finals, the first African or Arab nation to reach the final four.
His crime? A painful 1-0 defeat to Senegal in the AFCON final on home soil that is currently disputed.
In his place came Mohamed Ouahbi, a coach whose entire senior experience amounts to a youth World Cup title with Morocco’s under-20 side.
It was, as one account put it, close to reckless on paper. The early evidence suggests otherwise: unbeaten in two games, four points, a 1-1 draw with Brazil and a composed 1-0 win over Scotland, Ismael Saibari scoring in both. The gamble, so far, is paying off.
