Morocco Aims for Historic U17 AFCON Title Against Mali in Final Showdown

While acknowledging Mali’s experience in this type of match, Baha emphasized that the ambition was greater than a simple victory: the goal is "to enter history through the front door and achieve an unprecedented feat for Moroccan football". He recalled the team’s good preparation, which has been waiting for this moment for a long time, judging that "the moment of glory has arrived".

The coach assured that his players were mentally and physically ready, seeing the support of the home crowd as an additional motivation despite the pressure. He expressed his respect for Mali but specified the strategy: "The Mali team is no stranger to finals... but on the field, things are decided on details. Our goal is simply to score one more goal than the opponent, and for the rest, we will manage with focus and determination.", asking for a "tenfold effort" from his protégés.

Regarding the match time being moved forward to 3:00 PM, although he expressed a preference for playing in the evening, Nabil Baha affirmed his team’s preparation for any eventuality: "We are ready for all conditions and have conducted preparation that covered all scenarios, including penalty shootouts. Our players are used to pressure and are ready to fight the final battle."

"My message to Moroccans is: have confidence in us. This generation of players deserves to inscribe its name in the register of football history, and we aspire to write a success story starting from here, from Morocco," he said.