Nigeria Coach Scheil: "I Tip My Hat to Regragui; Imagine Being a Coach Hosting AFCON"
Nigeria national team coach Erik Scheil lauded the strength of the Moroccan national team and the significant effort behind their results, following the "Green Eagles'" qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, where they are set to face the "Atlas Lions."
The Nigerian coach emphasized that hosting the tournament on home soil is not easy, alluding to the pressure faced by Morocco's national coach Walid Regragui. He highlighted the immense pressure that accompanies the organizing team, adding that while some opinions noted difficulties Morocco faced early in their AFCON journey, he stressed that this does not diminish the value of a great team backed by extensive and continuous work.
After their 2-0 victory over Algeria in the quarter-finals, Scheil stated: "Morocco is a great team. It is not easy for the team organizing the tournament, as there is immense pressure. People say Morocco faced great difficulties at the start of their campaign, but I say they are a great team, and there is a lot of work behind everything they have achieved."
He added: "The coach (Regragui) is fantastic and has great players, and I believe he prepared well for the Africa Cup. You cannot imagine the work that goes into preparing for AFCON. I tip my hat to him. For example, a coach analyzes matches of all participating teams in AFCON, so we are talking about analyzing over 100 matches."
Scheil further noted: "Morocco qualified for the semi-finals, and they deserve it. I am very happy for him (Regragui) and his team. It will be a great match between two excellent teams, and the best will win. Now I am proud to face this great coach because he truly is a great coach. Try to put yourselves in the shoes of a coach for a certain national team, who is playing the Africa Cup in his own country."
It is worth noting that the Moroccan national team will face their Nigerian counterparts next Wednesday (21:00 GMT+1) in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals. The match will be held at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in the capital, Rabat.
