Morocco Football Federation Denies Rumors of Coach Halilhodzic’s Dismissal Ahead of World Cup Qualifiers

Vahid Halilhodzic remains in office and is not going anywhere. Questioned by Le360°Sport about the rumors concerning the dismissal of the Franco-Bosnian coach and his replacement by the Italian technician Claudio Ranieri, Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), describes it as "stupid rumors". "If we wanted to fire Halilhodzic, we would have done it two months ago and not on the eve of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers," he explained.

He added that Halilhodzic enjoys a good reputation within the Federation and that on Sunday they had a working session during which the next gathering of the Atlas Lions was discussed. Morocco will face Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Sudan in Group I as part of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers to be held from September to November 2021.

Vahid Halilhodzic took over the Atlas Lions on a contract that will expire in 2023. His goals: reach the semi-finals at the 2022 CAN in Cameroon, qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and win the 2023 CAN.