Morocco’s U23 AFCON Victory: Coach Charaï Credits Multilingual Approach and Team Unity

In a recent interview, the coach of the Moroccan Olympic team, who has only been in the job for eight months, reveals the secrets of the team’s success at the U23 AFCON, which it won by beating Egypt (2-1) in the final. "I switch between French, Arabic and English a lot. With the Flemish and Dutch boys, of course I can speak Dutch. I love to see how proud all these boys are to play for Morocco. Despite their different backgrounds, they really have an incredible connection with each other," he explained.

For Issame Charaï, this result is also the fruit of the significant investments made by the Moroccan state in football. "Our training complex is more chic than the Red Devils’ in Tubeke. The King of Morocco has invested a lot in football in recent years and it’s nice to see that his efforts are already bearing fruit in the very short term," he specified, also emphasizing the importance of the players’ family support. "The parents of my players stayed here for a month at the hotel. At the federation’s expense, you know. They were transported by bus to and from the stadium," he assures.

The coach of the Moroccan U-23s has pulled off a masterstroke by winning this AFCON. "It’s incredible. But we had prepared for this. The goal was to become African champions and qualify for the Olympic Games. I’m happy that we succeeded," said the one who is making his debut as a head coach, after being an assistant to Marc Brys at Beerschot-Wilrijk, Sint-Truiden and OH Leuven, from 2016 to 2022. Issame now lives in Rabat with his family. "My children are 12, 9 and 3 years old. They go to an international school and they love it here. So I’m going to stay here for a while," he said.