Morocco Coach Sidesteps Media, Assistant Faces Tough Questions After Match

17 June 2019 – bySaid · 2 min read

The usual post-match press conference of the "Atlas Lions" was not animated yesterday by the national coach, Hervé Renard. He preferred to have Patrice Beaumelle answer the questions and, above all, the journalists’ criticisms.

The assistant coach delivered almost the same answers that his boss would have pronounced, on the preparation of the "Atlas Lions", their freshness, the lack of success in front of the opposing goals and the fatigue of the players.

Returning to the case of Fayçal Fajr who was whistled several times, Beaumelle declares: "We all supported him. I think there is a misunderstanding. As I say, you have to be tough in the job you do. You have to be ready to be as much adored as sometimes booed. But it’s excessive. I’m very touched because Fayçal Fajr is someone who thinks first and foremost about the team. He’s someone who is very positive in the team, in the group, on a daily basis, and I’m very saddened to hear the whistles because there is a misunderstanding. We told each other before the game, we said: "We’re going to be tough, we’re going to close our ears to anyone. We’re here to play a game and that’s part of the job."

Despite the two defeats, the two Frenchmen remain focused on their goals and hope to make the hearts of Moroccans vibrate again:

"It’s not nice to get whistled, it’s not nice to lose. But I’ll tell you: it motivates us 100 times more. Everyone is fired up now," Beaumelle concluded.