The Moroccan national football team, nicknamed the Lions of the Atlas, is controlled by Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football and is one of the most succesful sides in Africa having qualifed for Africa Cup of Nation fifteen times.
Currently ranked 52nd in the world according to FIFA,Morocco national team is managed by Herve Renard —once Zambia,Ivory Coast and Angola coach.
Juventus defender Mehdi Fetania, acts as the team’s captain
History
Morocco have participated in 15 editions of the competition, winning the 1978 edition and runners up in the 2004 African football show piece.
During the 1976 edition,the Lions of Atlas captured the trophy in Ethiopian soil. In the qualifiers they thrashed Gambia and Senegal before outsting Ghana through penalties in a two legged tie that provided the Moroccans with the biggest test in their qualification.
In Addis Ababa, Morocco were held to a 2-2 draw by Sudan before beating Zaire by a solitary goal.They also beat Nigeria registering the same margin. The Lions of the Atlas eventually cruised into the final round as winners of their group.They went on to top the four teams decisive table to become kings of Africa.
1980 African Cup of Nations was another succesful outing for the Lions of the Atlas where they clinched bronze medal.The journey to the top started on a positive note, reaching the knockout phase as runners-up in a group comprising Ghana, Guinea and Algeria.
In the semis Morocco met Nigeria who handed them a defeat eliminating them to the third place final where they recorded a 2-0 win over Egypt.
In other events the Lion of Atlas did not register sucess as the were full of misfortunes. But after 26 years of failure the Lions of the Atlas got their best shot in 2004 when they went all the way to the final.In the group stages they beat Nigeria and Benin to book a quarter-final stage date with Algeria. They went past Mali in the semifinals but fell to hosts Tunisia in the final.
Morocco later made it to the 2006, 2008,2012 and 2015 Afcon but crashed in group stages.
Afcon 2017 qualification
Morocco qualified for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon after surviving pressure from Cape Verde,Sao Tome and Libya during the qualification campaign. The Lions of the Atlas will have to compete against Ivory Coast, DR Congo and Togo.This will be a tough group with chances of reaching quarterfinals will be slim for North Africans.
Squad Overview
Morocco squad is mainly comprised of overseas-based players, with a whole host of players plying their trade in France.
Medhi Benatia (Juventus) and Rachid Alioui (Nimes) are the two key attacking players for the Lions of the Atlas, while Southampton’s Sofiane Boufal will be pulling the strings in midfield.
Munir Mohamedi of Spanish side Numancia is expected to keep his place in goal, while Nabil Dirar of Monaco will be a crucial cog in their defence.
Key Player
Southamptons attacking midfielder Sofinae Boufal will undoubtedly be a key player for Morocco. The 23-year-old has made six appearances since joining the club in August scoring once.
In his international debut, he had some stand-out performance in qualifier aganist Cape Verde
Boufal’s skill at set pieces will be a valuable weapon at Morocco’s disposal, while the playmaker is also expected to chip in with goals and assists from open play.
Morocco 2017 Afcon squad List:
Goalkeepers: Munir Mohamedi (Numancia, Spain), Yassine Bounou (Girona, Spain), Yassine El Kharroubi (Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Bulgaria)
Defence: Medhi Benatia (Juventus, Italy), Marouane Da Costa (Olympiakos, Greece), Amine Attouchi (Wydad Casablanca), Hamza Mendyl (Lille, France), Chafik (Dijon, France), Nabil Dirar (Monaco, France)
Midfielders: Romain Saïss (Wolverhampton, England), Aït Bennasser (Nancy, France), Mounir Obbadi (Lille, France), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord Rotterdam, Holland), Fayçal Fajr (Deportivo La Cornea, Spain), Mbark Boussoufa (Al Jazira, UAE), Sofinae Boufal (Southampton, England), Mehdi Carcela (Granda, Spain), Omar El Kaddouri (Napoli, Italy)
Attackers: Rachid Alioui (Nîmes, France), Youssef El Arabi (Lekhwiya, Qatar), Khalid Boutaïb (Strasbourg, France), Youssef Ennesyri (Malaga, Spain), Aziz Bouhaddouz (Saint Pauli, Germany).
