HIBAPRESS – Sports
Walid Regragui, the coach of the Moroccan national team, affirmed that the match against Cameroon in the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations will be tough and complex, stressing that historical accounts do not affect the course of the match on the field.
During the press conference held this Thursday morning, Regragui said: “Cameroon poses a complex challenge for Morocco after eliminating us in the semi-finals of the 1988 edition, but the past remains the past, and we are now a new Morocco.” He added: “What happened in the past no longer exists now, and even in the last match between us in 2018, we won, and even as a player, I did not lose against Cameroon in two matches.” Regragui pointed out that the Cameroonian national team is in good shape and knows the size of the stakes: “They know that they will lose everything in case of defeat, because they may wait two or three years to participate in a major competition.” He added: “We also have something to lose, we are organizing the event on our land, and after four months we will play the World Cup, and there is a major competition waiting for us.” Regragui continued: “Cameroon will be more enthusiastic than usual, the pressure is on us and on them, and therefore it will be a big match.” He also praised the Cameroonian staff, saying: “The President of the Cameroonian Federation is a great player, and their coach is wonderful and took over the task like me a short time before the tournament and is among the best in the continent, and Cameroon has great players.” Regragui concluded his speech by emphasizing humility as an essential element for success: “This is the African Cup of Humility, some may not understand it at first, but with the results of the major teams, it becomes clear that the CAN is difficult, and if we play with humility, we will achieve a good result, and the decision will be made on the field.”
