By Tarik Sektioui Faces Backlash Following Morocco’s Defeat to Ukraine in Olympic Qualifier
Tarik Sektioui, the head coach of Morocco’s Olympic football team, is under intense scrutiny following his team’s 2-1 defeat to Ukraine on Saturday. This match, part of the group stage in the Paris 2024 Olympic Football Tournament, has left Moroccan fans and analysts frustrated with the team’s performance.
Despite creating several clear scoring opportunities, Morocco struggled to convert, and a stoppage-time goal by Ukraine’s Krasnopir in the 98th minute sealed their fate. Sektioui is facing considerable criticism for his tactical decisions, particularly the substitution of central defender Mehdi Boukamir for midfielder Yassine Kechta in the 74th minute, which many fans found baffling.
In the post-match press conference, the 47-year-old coach explained his decisions. “Oussama El Azzouzi requested to be substituted due to cramps, and I chose Mehdi Boukamir because Ukraine was down to ten men. With Yassine Kechta, we aimed to be more offensive,” Sektioui stated, as reported by Arryadia. This strategy almost paid off, but substitute striker El Mehdi Maouhoub missed a crucial chance, shooting straight at Ukrainian goalkeeper Feysun two minutes before the winning goal was scored.
Additionally, the performance of Betis winger Ez Abde has come under fire. His technical inaccuracies, with only one successful cross out of five attempts and numerous ball losses (17 in total, the second-worst in the match), have sparked further controversy. Many supporters have called for his exclusion, directing their demands to Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), as evidenced by a video shared on the KoraMaroc account.
As tension escalates, all eyes are on Morocco’s final crucial group-stage match against Iraq on Tuesday at Nice’s Allianz Riviera. A loss could lead to an early exit from the tournament and would likely mark the end of Sektioui’s tenure as head coach, mere months after his appointment.
