Morocco Coach Renard Addresses Ziyech Rift, Admits Miscommunication

The falling out between the French coach and the Moroccan forward dates back to 2016, a year when Ziyech, despite shining at Ajax, was a substitute for the Moroccan national team. A choice by Renard that the Atlas Lion had difficulty accepting.

"It’s true, there was a misunderstanding, a miscommunication, a player injured on Tuesday in the national team but on the field Saturday for his club. I had become stubborn: whether I was right or wrong, it didn’t matter," Hervé Renard admits today, acknowledging his share of responsibility in the crisis.

After the 2017 AFCON, Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) organized a truth-telling meeting between Renard and Ziyech in Amsterdam. At the end of the meeting, the two men came away with better feelings.

Renard admitted he had failed to "engage in more dialogue." For his part, Ziyech reaffirmed his commitment to the national team. "I listened to him and it was very simple: in five minutes, it was resolved," Hervé Renard confides.