Eliminated from the African Cup of Nations, Morocco now have an appointment with DR Congo in the play-offs next month to qualify for the World Cup next November-December in Qatar. Present at a press conference for nearly two and a half hours, this Thursday, Vahid Halilhodzic did not escape questions from journalists, determined to know the intentions of the coach of the Atlas Lions: “my first objective is to qualify my team and if I can’t do that, I can leave”first said the former coach of FC Nantes before continuing in the face of the pressure put on him.
“I can leave now if you want, I have no pressure to leave or not. I have already gone to the past. Let me continue to do my best to go to the World Cup. That’s my goal”, insisted the Franco-Bosnian coach. Referring to the quarter-final loss to Egypt recognizing more Pharaohs “clever”Halilhodzic also justified his choice not to select Chelsea attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech: “I can’t summon a player who can blow up the group, even if his name is Lionel Messi. Aimé Jacquet or Didier Deschamps became world champions by dismissing the best players. I’m not the first to do this.”, concluded the Morocco coach. The message got through.
