Morocco coach rooting for Belgium to win World Cup after France loss
· Yahoo Sports
FOXBOROUGH - Now that Morocco's World Cup dream is over after a 2-0 loss against France in the quarterfinals, Atlas Lions manager Mohamed Ouahbi's allegiance reverted to his home country.
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France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Tuesday in Dallas. Ouahbi declared his rooting interest.
"I hope it will be Belgium," he said through FIFA's translation service.
The Morocco manager, who took over in March after leading the nation's U20 and U23 sides, was born in the Schaerbeek region of Brussels to a Moroccan family. He supported both Belgium and Morocco watching the 1986 World Cup.
Moroco crossed paths with one of the world's best teams in France for the first time in Ouhabi's tenure at Boston Stadium. He share dhis admiration for Les Blues manager Didier Deschamps both as a player and a coach.
"These are role models," Ouhabi said. "They know how to manage egos."
Deschamps said he didn't know Ouhabi personally but noted Morocco's youth and its status as a co-host of the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal and Spain.
"It leads me to believe Morocco has a bright future ahead," Deschamps said.
Ouabi wished France success going forward.
"Just not against Belgium," he added.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Morocco coach rooting for Belgium to win World Cup after France loss