Rabat, Aug. 11 (BNA) The coach who helped Morocco qualify for the World Cup on Thursday was sacked, barely three months before the tournament kicks off in Qatar.
The Moroccan Football Federation said the decision to dismiss Vahid Halilhodzic was due to differences in the team’s preparation for the tournament, The Associated Press reported.
Morocco is set to play its first match on November 23 against the 2018 World Cup finalist Croatia. The team will also play Belgium and Canada in Group F.
Halilhodžić’s exit opens the way for Hakim Ziyech to return to the squad. The Bosnian coach cut the Chelsea player out of the squad last year due to a dispute over the possibility that he would not want to play in a friendly match.
It is the third time the 69-year-old has been sent off by a team that helped him qualify but was unable to coach him at the World Cup itself.
He led Ivory Coast by qualifying for the 2010 tournament and Japan for the 2018 edition but lost his job each time before reaching the final tournament.
At the 2014 World Cup, Halilhodži coached Algeria until the Round of 16, where the team lost in extra time to Germany.
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