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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ed Aarons

‘Morocco’s Guardiola’ leads way for African coaches at Qatar World Cup

Otto Addo of Ghana, Walid Regragui of Morocco, Aliou Cissé of Senegal, Rigobert Song of Cameroon and Jalel Kadri of Tunisia.
From left to right: Otto Addo of Ghana, Walid Regragui of Morocco, Aliou Cissé of Senegal, Rigobert Song of Cameroon and Jalel Kadri of Tunisia. Composite: Getty Images; Reuters

“I can play a lot of different styles,” said Morocco’s coach, Walid Regragui, this month. “I admire Guardiola, Simeone and Ancelotti, but I also have my own style which allows me to adapt the team according to the qualities of the players available.”

Regragui, a former defender born in France to parents from Fnideq in northern Morocco, spent three years playing in Spain and won 45 caps for Morocco but never appeared at a World Cup finals. Yet his appointment to replace the Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic at the end of August represented a significant moment in the history of African football.

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