Two-time African Nations Championship (Chan) champions Morocco are in Nairobi with a clear mission to become the first nation to clinch a historic third title in the competition involving local-based players.
Having won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2020, the Atlas Lions, who headline Group A that has hosts Kenya, DR Congo, Angola and Zambia, are among the favourites for the title.
The historic month-long tournament to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will be used as a dry run for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) to be held in East Africa.
The tournament will kick off on Saturday in Tanzania before shifting to Nairobi for a Group A clash between Harambee Stars and DR Congo at the refurbished Kasarani Stadium the following day.
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Though they missed out on the 2022 edition that was lifted by Senegal in Algeria, Tarik Sektioui’s boys showed their seriousness about the competition by becoming the first team to arrive in Nairobi yesterday morning.
The 28-man squad landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport beaming with confidence as they prepare to reclaim the trophy.
Even though AS FAR defender Marouane Louadni has already fallen in love with Nairobi, he said the squad is fully aware of the task ahead.
“I’m happy to be in Kenya and we are ready for Chan. Nairobi is a good city with good weather, we are looking forward to a successful tournament,” said Louadni.
The 28-man squad is dominated by RS Berkane, Raja Casablanca, Wydad Casablanca and AS FAR players.
The North African giants will bank heavily on FUS Rabat forward Ayoub Mouloua. The 22-year-old striker had a brilliant season in the Moroccan league, bagging the Golden Boot with 11 goals and three assists. Other key players include RS Berkane trio of Abdelhak Assal, Ayoub Khairi and Reda Hajji.
With the quality of players at his disposal, head coach Sektioui Tarik feels his side is more than ready to rewrite history after becoming the first host nation to claim the trophy in 2018.
“We’ve selected players with the right experience and mentality for a competition like Chan,” Sektioui said after naming his travelling party at Mohammed VI Complex on Wednesday.
“Many of them play regularly in top-tier continental club competitions and we believe their cohesion and tactical discipline will serve us well.”
He continued: “We focused our selection on technical ability and team chemistry.
“Despite some player departures to Europe, we are confident this squad has what it takes to represent Morocco with pride.”
Morocco will begin their campaign on Sunday against Angola at Nyayo Stadium before taking on Harambee Stars on August 10 at Kasarani followed by a tie against Zambia on August 14 at Nyayo.
The North African side will wrap up the preliminary round with a match against DR Congo on August 17 at Nyayo.
Prior to their departure, Morocco humiliated Chad 6-0 in the recent Fifa international window before beating Burkina Faso 2-1 in a friendly on July 21. They then lost 3-1 to the Burkinabe in their final build-up match on July 24.
After Atlas Lions arrival, Zambia are expected to jet in today, with Angola and DR Congo scheduled to touch down on Thursday.