SWILA: Understanding Moroccan coach Regragui and his brand of football

To understand how the stock of coach Walid Regragui has risen, or how popular a figure he’s become amongst his compatriots, you need to look no further than how the Moroccan journalists covering the global football showpiece here in Doha, treat him.

On Saturday, after he masterminded a famous jaw-dropping 1-0 win over Portugal, to engrave their names in the football books as the first team from the African continent to qualify for the World Cup semis, he got a standing ovation from the most unlikely of quarters.

No sooner had he breezed through the press conference room to review his team’s performance against the Portuguese, before question-hungry journalists, a galaxy of TV cameras trained on tiny frame, as he walked briskly to the podium, than the Moroccan journalists rose on their feet, in unison, giving him a standing ovation. It was an impromptu – a spur-of-the-moment thing.

But who can begrudge them? On this warm night, the skies of Doha luminated with joy, as Africa and Arab football made history, as the Moroccan team, nicknamed the Atlas Lions, stood shoulder high, high as the Atlas mountains, their football prowess radiating across the African continent, from a vintage position, their roar, loud enough to be heard in Lisbon.

Such is the stature that Regragui has built. He is watched in awe; leading newspapers across the world have dedicated acres of space for their finest football writers to pay homage to their performances and even the finest of pundits have not been left behind.

In his native country Morocco, he is an idol, and so is he in the Arab world, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

But who is this man, and what is his football philosophy? To a casual follower of the game, like many are, he’s merely riding his luck, but for the football purists, Regragui’s fine run in this tourney has long been coming.

He’s a master tactician and his football philosophy shines through his players.

Flashback to 30 May 2022, at the imposing 67,000-seater Stade Mohammed V, in Casablanca, Regragui’s men, then WYDAD Casablanca, vanquished continental power house Al Ahly of Egypt, 2-0, to lift the 2021-2022 CAF Champions League title.

 The Moroccan football federation chiefs took notice, and shortly after, he was tapped to lead the Atlas Lions to Qatar 2022 World Cup, quite a short timeframe but he managed to instill his football philosophy - attacking the enemy, with brute force at their weakest, but defending to the last man when put on the back foot.

These tactics shone best in the impressive 2-0 demolition over fancied Belgium, in a World Cup Group F match, and in the recent 1-0 win over Portugal. Two different games, played at the same stage, which yielded the desired results for his team – wins – but which mirrored how exactly his team plays (at one point they can be overtly offensive while changing gears with relative ease).

One thing is clear about Regragui, he doesn’t play with the handbrake on, but attempts to get the most of what he has.

Sunday Oliseh, a Nigerian legend best sums it up.

He said: “Morocco does not play defensive football. The coach (Regragui) has learnt to make use of what he has, they know how to play through the blocks and when they decide to use the tringles it is hard to score against them,” Oliseh said, pointing out that he relishes the prospects of the Atlas Lions winning the coveted gong.

“Morocco’s success hasn’t been overnight, I predicted this 10 years ago,” he went on. “You need to look at how big they have invested in infrastructure over the years and this is reflected in their teams’ performances,” gushed Oliseh.

Other than the Atlas Lions, RS Berkane, the tormentors of Gor Mahia two years back, have recently won the CAF Confederations Cup, while ASFAR Women Football Club won the CAF Women Champions League – showing that a decade of sound investment in Moroccan football is slowly yielding the results, and Regragui is now the poster boy of that success.

This, in a way, points to the system that works, where the grassroot development of football becomes the feeder programme of the national football teams, a non-existent term on the Kenyan shores.

However, as Atlas Lions prepare for the semi-final clash on Wednesday, the mother of all football battles, they have nothing to lose. They have punched above their weight. Their place in the football folklore is safely guarded. Whether they lose 1-0 or 10-0 against the French, no one cares, and no one will dare scold them. The whole world has taken notice and it will take nothing away from the memories, the joy and excitement they brought to the African continent and the Arab world, rewriting the football order, and giving hope to many football teams who have hitherto punched below their weight.

As for Regragui, 47, his star has just been lit, it can only shine brighter, a huge, huge coaching career awaits him. While at it, his calm head and easy-going demeanor has  earned him more admirers.

In a competition where coaches have stuck to their mother tongues, preferring not to answer questions in the international language that is English, even when they command the fluency of it, Regragui has been a rare gem, making good use of his French, Arabic and the Queens language.

His time in Doha has no doubt given journalists the punchy sound bites and the quotes to lace their reports.