Cold anger, contained but very palpable. While Morocco had just won its ticket for the last four of the African Cup of Nations after its success over Cameroon (2-0), Friday, Moroccan coach Walid Regragui was questioned at a press conference by a Cameroonian journalist on the possible benevolence of the refereeing from which the Atlas Lions would benefit since the start of the competition. A competition they organize.
In particular, a disputed foul on Bryan Mbeumo in the Moroccan penalty area in the 68th minute, not whistled by the referee when the score was only 1-0. A penalty could have changed the course of the match. The decision also provoked a wave of reactions and controversy.
Unfair attacks for the coach of the Moroccan football team. “We know that since the start of the competition many want to believe or make people believe that we have advantages at the level of the refereeing body,” says Regragui. I rather saw penalties which could have been whistled for us. »
The coach indicates that he “never talks about refereeing” and recalls that he himself was the victim of “a penalty not called against South Africa (in Round of 16 of CAN 2023 in Ivory Coast)” and that he had been “suspended without any reason”.
“Playing on this pitch is not fair play”
“We win on the pitch, the statistics show us better than the others, we create more opportunities than the opponent,” says the person concerned. Afterwards it’s easy, when you want to kill your dog, you say it has rabies. We are the team to beat so we will find every reason to say that Morocco has an advantage through the refereeing but the only advantage Morocco has is playing in front of 65,000 spectators. We deserve our victory. »
And to continue by believing that “playing on this ground is not fair play on the part of the people who want to see us fall”. “The best team will win this CAN, inch’Allah (if Allah wills) », a conclu Walid Regragui.
