Rabat – Tarik Sektioui, Coach of Morocco’s U-23 football team, said his squad will give it their best in the Arab Cup in Qatar from December 1 to 18, aiming to win the title and make the country proud.
Sektioui made the reassuring comment during a press conference at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Sale, where he announced the squad list. He said the team’s first goal is to get past the group stage, and then they will focus on each match individually.
He acknowledged that the competition will be tough, with strong teams that have qualified for the World Cup. “The Atlas Lions will give their best to raise Morocco’s flag high,” he pledged.
Sektioui explained that the final squad of 26 players was chosen after careful work with the national technical staff. He added that it was not easy to select the final list from the initial 29 players because all of them showed seriousness and desire to represent Morocco.
The team had two training camps and played friendly matches against Egypt and Kuwait, which Sektioui said were very useful in preparing the players.
The final squad includes three reserve players, including Khalid Ait Ourkhan, Ayoub Khairi, and Walid Azaro. The coach hopes that no player will get injured, especially since some players will join the team just one day before the tournament starts.
Morocco’s first match will be on December 2 against the winner of Yemen vs. Comoros. The second match will be on December 5 against the winner of Oman vs. Somalia, and the third match is scheduled against Saudi Arabia on December 8.
MWN with MAP