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| Sports |
| Morocco bringing full-strength squad |
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by
Garry Chirwa, 03 June 2004
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11:52:24
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Morocco’s Atlas Lions are expected to wing into the country on Friday morning for Saturday’s World Cup group qualifier against the Flames with almost all their Europe-based sophisticates making the trip.
A Morocco Football Association official Abdelilah El Menjra said in a telephone interview from the North African country’s capital Rabat on Wednesday morning that they are not taking any chances and are bringing a full-strength squad that includes over 10 players who are based in Europe.
“This will be a World Cup qualifier and we cannot take any chances in such big tournaments. We are happy that apart from very few players, all our foreign-based players will travel to Malawi.
“It is important that we win the first game because that will set the pace for the future games but we know that it will not be easy at all,” said El Menjra who also emphasised that the Atlas Lions are not belittling Malawi.
Asked why they have chosen to arrive just a day before the game, the Moroccan official said: “There is nothing special, it’s only that we are coming by a chartered flight and we’ll have to wait for some of our players who will only join us from Europe on Thursday.”
According to the list of the 43-man squad, the Africa Nations Cup losing finalists have included their deadly striking duo Youseff Mokhtari and Youseff Hadji who turn out for Wacker Burghausen in Germany and Bastia in France respectively.
The duo were among the five top scorers at the Nations Cup finals along with Nigeria’s Jay-Jay Okocha and Mali’s Fred Kanoute.
It also includes Youseff Safri (Conventry City, England), Abdelkrim Kissi (Rubin Kazan, Russia), Tarik Chihab (Zurich, Swirtzerland), Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux, France), Nabil Baha (Navail Maio, Portugal), Abdeslam Ouaddou (Rennes, France), Talal El Karkouri (PSG, France), Jamal Aliloul (Perugia, Italy), Reggragui Hoalid (Ajaccio, France) and Houssine Kharja (Ajaccio, France).
All the above players were part of the squad that made it to the finals of the Nations Cup in Tunisia early this year. The squad also includes players who ply their trade at home in Morocco like Hassane Allah who plays for MCO Oujda.. Their coach Ezaki Badou also appears on the list.
Missing on the list are veterans goalkeeper Khalid Fouhami and long-serving captain Noureddine Naybet.
Fam administrative officer Lawrence Waya said the Atlas Lions are expected to jet in at Chileka Airport in Blantyre on Friday at 6AM and will be accommodated at Victoria Hotel.
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