2023-08-08 07:15:00
The Atlas Lionesses, opponents of France this Tuesday in the round of 16, have achieved the best course in their history, a few months after the prowess of the men’s selection in Qatar.
By Adrien Mathieu Morocco have managed to pass the group stage and will meet France in the round of 16. © COLIN MURTY / AFP Published on 08/08/2023 at 07:15
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The latest Women’s World Cup Round of 16 poster will have several strong symbols. Eight months after their confrontation in Qatar in the last four, France and Morocco will again cross swords in a knockout match (kick-off Tuesday August 8 at 1 p.m., match broadcast on M6).
Hervé Renard will find a country he knows well, he who was coach of the Atlas Lions from 2016 to 2019. On the opposing bench, the French will find a very familiar face with Reynald Pedros, former star of FC Nantes des 1990s and now in charge of the Moroccan women’s national team.
A Marshall plan for Moroccan women’s football launched in 2020
In a press conference, the coach of the Atlas Lionesses also indicated that there would be no feeling against his country. “It’s a special match because I’m French and my staff is French, but my heart is Moroccan. I really like this country, I discovered it. I live very well there, I am very happy to train there. I will have absolutely no qualms, no remorse in beating the France team. »
It must be said that Pedros and his players are living a fairy tale. For their first participation in a final phase of a World Cup, Ghizlane Chebbak and his partners have managed the feat of climbing to the next round. Despite a catastrophic start against Germany (0-6 defeat), the Moroccans were able to reverse the trend and chain two successes against Colombia (1-0) and South Korea (1-0) to slip into the round of 16. final.
To achieve this, the Maghreb country has worked to bring its women’s football out of anonymity. Hanif Ben Berkane, journalist at Foot Market and Moroccan football specialist, returns for Point behind the scenes of this clear progression of the Atlas Lionesses. “Morocco launched its Marshall Plan for women’s football in 2020 with substantial investments. The Federation has in particular taken care of the salaries of the players, which was not the case before. Youth categories and sports studies sections have been created, there has been a real follow-up of all these players in order to professionalize the championship as much as possible. Reynald Pedros oversees all the teams, he had serious guarantees on this project. »
“Huge sympathy for these players”
72nd in the last FIFA women’s ranking, Morocco has begun to feel the results of this policy. If the gap remains wide with European football, like the slap suffered against the Mannschaft (6-0), the players of the Cherifian Empire show a conquering face. “For several years, Morocco has become a benchmark on the continent,” says Hanif Ben Berkane. The 2022 women’s CAN played at home had an important role, with a final, which was an unprecedented performance for this team. They don’t come out of nowhere, the Moroccan players have shown that they can do great things. We see in Australia and New Zealand the continuity of this progress. »
Hervé Renard is well aware that Morocco will be taken very seriously for this round of 16. “We prepared for the match by supervising our opponent for a long time […] About me, I have wonderful memories of my stay in Morocco. Now, on to football. Even when we play a game with friends, we do it to win it. We are here to qualify, ”said the coach of Les Bleues at a press conference.
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Regardless of the outcome of this confrontation, the Moroccans have seen their popularity ratings soar in the country since their qualification. “Since Morocco’s men’s excellent run in Qatar, there has been a real enthusiasm for all the country’s national teams. We saw it with the U23s who won the CAN in their category. There is a lot of sympathy now for the players, because they all embody the values with which Moroccans identify, in particular sharing, ”concludes Hanif Ben Berkane. Wendie Renard’s Bleues are more than warned, especially in a World Cup where surprises are incessant.
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