Double defending champion, and in front of its home crowd, Morocco is the favorite for the 7th African Cup of Nations which runs until April 21 in Rabat. “Playing at home and in front of our audience motivates us to defend our title. We will take advantage of playing in a world-class venue and in front of our passionate audience to win the third title in a row,” declared Hicham Dguig, the national Futsal coach in an interview with MAP. The technician noted that the pressure in this case is normal. “We are experienced in such situations,” he confides. Morocco is indeed entering this competition as the favorite, having won the two previous editions, the last of which (in 2020) already at home. “Given that all components of national football are used to seeing a solid national team playing for the coronation, we cannot envisage any other scenario than final victory,” insists Dguig. Concerning the preparations for the national selection, in anticipation of this CAN organized in Rabat until April 21 at the Ibn Yassine hall and at the Palais des Sports of the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, the coach assured that they took place in excellent conditions. The preparation was notably marked by convincing victories against Italy (4-0, then 3-2), and a draw (0-0) against Serbia in February. He confided that his group viewed the tournament with enthusiasm, seriousness and a lot of ambition. These friendly matches were an opportunity to work at ease on all technical and mental aspects, in a favorable setting, provided by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, assures Hicham Dguig. Expected duel with Egypt During the draw for the competition, carried out in March, Morocco was placed in group A alongside Angola, 3rd in the last edition, Ghana and Zambia. Group B consists of Egypt, the best African winner, winner of the first three editions of the tournament (1996, 2000, and 2004), and finalist of the last two (2016 and 2020), which is eyeing a revenge on Morocco. For the national coach, group A in which Morocco was placed is tougher than group B. “Angola is one of the big names in Africa and played in the last World Cup. Ditto for Ghana, which has already been a CAN finalist, and Zambia, twice semi-finalist. So, the national team must remain vigilant and pull out all the stops to get through the process,” he stressed. Confidence, but caution Hicham Dguig ensures that his team is ready to take on the challenge, but remains cautious in the face of competition. “At the same time, we cannot consider ourselves the sole favorites. Other strong teams have improved enormously recently. Against Morocco, which enjoys a worldwide reputation, they will be tough and intractable, especially since they know the level of our players well, through the preparation matches that we are playing. For this, we are called to work even harder, to change our tactical plans and to diversify our game, to surprise our opponents,” analyzes the technician.
