Morocco Coach Halilhodzic Denies Dismissal Rumors Ahead of World Cup

In an interview with the Croatian media Net.hr, Vahid Halilhodzic formally denied the rumors about his dismissal from the position of coach of the Moroccan national football team. He assures that until proven otherwise, he is still the coach of the Atlas Lions. "I am still the coach of Morocco, who says that Morocco has abandoned me? What the media writes is not true," he insisted, accusing the media of wanting to get rich at his expense.

For the technician who, with Morocco, has just qualified his fourth national team for the World Cup, the media write about him by reporting information they do not master or to make a buzz. "Yes, the media write everything, the journalists write everything, there must be money at stake," estimates the Franco-Bosnian technician.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has repeatedly denied the rumors of a supposed dismissal of the coach, but each interview of the coach in the media has often relaunched the debate, fueled the anger of the supporters, especially with his intransigence in the file concerning the return to the team of Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui.

Moroccan players do not imagine going to the World Cup without their two teammates. This is why the FRMF has called for silencing the differences for the mobilization of all around the common goal: to go as far as possible in the competition. But Vahid Halilhodzic has repeated that he will not go back on the case of these two players, and that he is putting his position at stake.

Morocco is in group F with Belgium, Croatia and Canada. The president of the federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, is waiting for the coach’s return from vacation to hold a crucial meeting with him for the future of the team.