Morocco Fumes Over Denied Hydration Break in Sweltering CAN 2019 Match

Hervé Renard, for having seen his players suffer for 90 minutes from lack of hydration, did not mince his words to complain. His protégés spat it out at him after obtaining the three points of victory.

The coach of the Moroccan national team wanted to know the reasons that prevented the organizers of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) from allowing his protégés to "drink between each period". For Hervé Renard, this break does not concern those who are in the stands or on the bench, but rather the players who are on the field and who are responsible for defending the national flag. From his remarks, we gather that the players, from the 25th minute, needed to hydrate themselves to compensate for the energy spent.

To prevent them from suffering the fate of the Nigerian, Samuel Kalu, victim of dehydration, coach Renard attacks the CAF and reminds it of the instructions of its Medical Commission. The latter had announced, well before the start of the CAN, "that the matches would be interrupted by two breaks to allow the players to hydrate (at the 30th and 75th minutes) [...]. All matches will have two three-minute interruptions to preserve the well-being of the players," detailed the Commission in a press release, relayed by the site lavenir.net.

It’s the same story with Sofiane Boufal, Moroccan midfielder, who revealed the difficulties encountered during the competition. "It’s very difficult, even for professional players," he acknowledged.