Hadji blames Renard for Morocco's AFCON failure

Herve Renard, head coach of Morocco arrives before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Finals match between Morocco and Ivory Coast at Al Salam Stadium in Cairo, Egypt on 28 June 2019 © Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix

by Staff Reporter

Thursday Jul 18, 2019. 16:00

Morocco football legend Mustapha Hadji has blamed head coach Herve Renard for the team’s failure at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.

Hadji was part of the Atlas Lions technical team as the North African giants were stunned 1-0 by Benin in the Round of 16 match earlier this month.

The Morocco assistant coach has revealed that French tactician Renard made a big mistake during the tournament.

“As a technical staff we provided many suggestions concerning the team’s formation during the tournament, but Renard had the final decision,” Hadji told a local Moroccan radio station.

The Atlas Lions went into the tournament as one of the favorites to win the continental competition in Egypt.

“We had to rest some players and rotate the squad, as playing the three group stage matches with the same players was a big mistake,” he added.

Morocco were hoping to win the AFCON title for the second time having won it in 1976.