That Moroccan team He completed a historic feat at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by reaching the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time. The Atlas Lions were the big surprise despite their coach Walid Regragui having just three months before the start of the tournament to prepare his side. However, there was someone who was not happy with the Mallorcans taking part: their former coach, Vahid Halilhodzic.
The Franco-Bosnian strategist, who left office at the end of August, was hurt that he couldn’t step down after leading the World Cup. “You took my pride away from me. I can’t forget or forgive it because it should have been the farewell to my coaching career,” explained DT for the Croatian portal tportal.hr.
According to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), the end of the relationship between the two parties came in a “friendly” manner despite “diverging views on the preparation” of the team. The reason for these differences would have been the decision to rule out striker Hakim Ziyech for disciplinary reasons, although the player was finally able to play the World Cup with the new coach.
The “wiping out” of Ziyech from the national team cost Halilhodzic his job. Photo: composition AFP/EFE
“Vaha”, 70 years old, was also not satisfied with the praise that Regragui gave him for forming the group with which he made history. “Honoring my successor cannot make up for my bitterness or what I missed out on in this competition,” he added.
For the third time in his career, Vahid Halilhodzic was left with a desire to take the lead at a World Cup he had qualified for, having been sacked by teams Ivory Coast and Japan months before the start of both editions in 2010 and 2018 respectively. . His only World Cup coaching experience came in Brazil 2014, when he reached the last 16 with Algeria.