Regragui Challenges Fans: 'We Don't Need Those Who Come Just to Eat and Take Pictures'

Walid Regragui believes that hosting the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco does not necessarily guarantee an easy path to the title for the Moroccan national team. He also sent a special message to the fans who will attend Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium to support Yassine Bounou's teammates in the AFCON.

Speaking on Saturday at the press conference preceding the AFCON opening, Regragui stated: "We are contenders, and we will not hide from that. However, the country that will find it most difficult to win the title is Morocco. Everyone expects us to win, and there is positive pressure, but any result other than winning the trophy will be seen as a failure. These are not easy circumstances."

He added: "As we saw in the last Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast, even the host nation can face obstacles. What we can control are our emotions, what happens on the pitch, and the effort we put in."

He concluded by saying: "There's another thing, and that's the fans. The fans must be with us. Just as they put pressure on me, I will put pressure on them. If tomorrow the fans come just to wait between halves to eat and start taking pictures, we have no use for them."

It is worth noting that tomorrow, Sunday, marks the official start of the Africa Cup of Nations "Morocco 2025," where the Moroccan national team will face Comoros at 20:00 (GMT+1) at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.