Rabat - The Moroccan Royal Federation of Football has reportedly sacked Moroccan head coach Badou Zaki and replaced him with French coach Hervé Renard.
What has been rumored for the past two weeks is now confirmed, according to several media reports.
Two weeks ago, the popular French sports newspaper l’Equipe announced that negotiations were underway between the Moroccan Football Federation and the French coach with the intention of signing him as the new coach of the Moroccan football team.
Zaki, who has long been acclaimed for his successful performance with the Atlas Lions in 2004 in the African Cup of Nations, has been under fire recently for his less-than-satisfactory coaching of the Moroccan national team.
Though he led Morocco to make it to the second round of the Russia World Cup qualifiers, he has been criticized for not preparing the team for competition at the continental and international levels to secure its spot in both the 2018 World Cup and the 2017 African Cup of Nations.
Since he took over as head coach of the Moroccan national team, Zaki has tried over 70 players without forming a stable and competitive team.
Zaki has also been criticized for his lack of coordination with his two assistants, Said Chiba and Mustapha Haji. Zaki’s precarious position was compounded by his tense relationship with Haji in recent months, especially after the former international striker criticized Zaki during an interview with Moroccan sports website Hesport for making all major decisions on his own without consulting his assistants.
French coach Hervé Renard has made a name for himself in the African continent following his outstanding performances with both Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire. He is the only coach to have won the African Cup of Nations with two different national teams. He won the coveted title with Zambia in 2012 and with Cote d’Ivoire in 2015.
The post Morocco’s Football Federation Sacks Badou Zaki, to Replace Him with Hervé Renard appeared first on Morocco World News.