They weren’t among dark horses of the tournament, but they are everyone’s darling now. Morocco is the only African side to reach the semi-final of the World Cup and nobody wants to see them bord the plane on Thursday, not even the French! Well, most of them do, but there are some born and bread Frenchmen who will support the Atlas Lions tonight, and one of them openly admitted so – Herve Renard.Can Morocco extend fairytale run against France for place in final?The French coach who became famous after Saudi Arabia shocking win over Argentina is quite known on the continent. With two AFCON trophies in his pocket, the Frenchman is the only coach in history to win the tournament with two different teams (Ivory Coast, Zambia), but he also coached Angola and Morocco. And the emotions he felt while serving as the manager there left no dilemma which team will he support.“I am French, I was born in France, I have a French passport but I am sorry, I will support the Moroccan team. Because this country marked me, people brought me love to a point that you cannot even imagine. It is often what is happening in these countries: either we hate you or we love you. I received so many things, that I share their joy today while remaining in the background because I simply had the chance to work with them. I wish them the best in the world” said Renard to RMC Sports.The African king, Deschamps’ teammate and former cleaner – meet the man who defeated ArgentinaBetween March 2016 and July 2019, the 54-year-old coach indeed led the Atlas Lions. At the head of Morocco, he has a record of 25 wins, 9 draws and 11 defeats. His adventure on the bench of the selection had stopped after an elimination in the round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations against Benin (1-1, 4 tab to 1).”I had a fantastic adventure with a group of players in a country that loves football. Today, I think the earth is shaking in Morocco, they are so proud and so they deserve it. There is such passion, which sometimes can be excessive, that today it is an exceptional reward. It is also a great reward for the African continent. This World Cup in Qatar will remain as something magnificent, I’m sure, for African football and of course for Moroccan football” concluded Renard.His half-time team talks are something else: “Are you pressing them, or you just want a picture with Messi?!”The Frenchman got the attention for the shocking win over Argentina, but his half-time talk after which Saudi Arabia turned the game over with two goals was a big hit on social networks. But Renard wanted to make sure that the video was not made for the spectacle, or for putting up a show.”We haven’t seen that in other teams, so it may to be interpreted as if we were putting on a show. But I didn’t come to the World Cup to put on a show. I came to the World Cup to beat our opponents. That’s what we did. I’ve been training for twenty years and more. Half-time talks sometimes didn’t work. To put it in context, normally the communication department asks me to put the videos. If it had not worked, they would have kept it in a drawer and would have even erased the tape. But it worked, so they used it for a communication. That is completely normal”. ” explained the Frenchman.QATAR 2022 WORLD CUP1/2 FINALSTuesdayArgentina – Croatia 3-0 (2-0)/Messi (p) 34, Alvarez 39,69/Wednesday22.00: (1.60) France (3.70) Morocco (7.50)
