Morocco Coach Defends Aboukhlal Amid Controversy Over Rainbow Jersey Refusal

Controversy over the refusal to wear the rainbow jersey during the match against Nantes for the day against homophobia, a violent alleged altercation with the deputy mayor of Toulouse, Laurence Arribagé. Zakaria Aboukhlal is currently going through a bad patch. But the Moroccan international can count on the support of his coach in Morocco. "With my staff, we were totally surprised, disconcerted. If there is one player we don’t imagine in this kind of story, it’s Zak’. He’s a respectful boy, with real values and a good education, passed on by open-minded parents, whom we had the chance to rub shoulders with during the World Cup in Qatar. I’m just surprised by the timing. We risk being in a word against word situation, in the end," reacts Walid Regragui to L’Équipe.

The coach of the Atlas Lions confides that Zakaria called him and firmly denied this altercation with the elected official, Laurence Arribagé. "Zak had an impeccable behavior at the World Cup. Our team manager is a woman, and when she yelled a bit during the competition, he lowered his head. He has great respect for others, he was proud to represent his country and be part of the group, even after his goal against Belgium, he never took himself for someone else, he’s a good guy, a kid anything but pretentious. Nothing to say about his behavior. Afterwards, he doesn’t speak French, and I had already told him that he needed to learn it quickly to better control his environment," he continues, before highlighting the altruism of his protégé.

"He has been fighting for a long time to save children in Morocco. He finances an orphanage in Casablanca and a neighborhood football pitch with an association with his bonuses. He has this social fiber and this desire to help, to get the kids out of poverty. That’s why I’m shocked by the Zakaria that is portrayed: he is a far cry from the one we all know," Regragui concludes.