Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi has described playing the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil as a “positive responsibility”, as the Atlas Lions prepare for their tournament opener against Comoros on Sunday.
Speaking alongside head coach Walid Regragui ahead of the match, Hakimi said the squad is fully aware of the expectations that come with hosting AFCON and believes the pressure can serve as motivation rather than a burden.
“We’ve already discussed it with the team, we know what we need to do, we know our responsibility,” Hakimi said. “It’s a positive responsibility that motivates us to be ready for this competition and to continue what we’ve been doing for the past two years.”
The Paris Saint-Germain defender acknowledged that lessons had been learned since Morocco’s exit from the previous AFCON, stressing the importance of emotional control in front of home crowds. “We know we’re playing at home and that there are a lot of expectations, but we have to control ourselves and play as usual,” he said. “In the end, we just have to do what we know how to do, which is play football.”
For Hakimi, this year’s tournament carries added personal significance. The Comoros match will mark his fourth AFCON appearance, but the first in Morocco. “This is my fourth AFCON. I’m a veteran now,” he said with a smile. “But this one is different. It’s special because you’re playing at home, with your country, with your family, with all the Moroccans behind you. It gives extra motivation to defend our country and give everything for this shirt.”
Hakimi also reflected on his recent injury scare, admitting there was concern about missing the tournament altogether. “I was a little scared after my injury,” he said. “I didn’t want to miss this AFCON at home. From the very beginning, I told the coach I would do everything I could to be with the team. I feel ready now, but it’s the coach’s decision.”
Despite questions over his playing time, the captain insisted individual concerns are secondary to the team’s ambition. “I don’t think about individual things,” Hakimi said. “If I only play for one minute and my team wins, that’s enough for me. I only think about the team and about seeing Morocco win this Cup on 18 January.”
Morocco enter the tournament as one of the favourites, and Hakimi’s words underline a squad focused on unity, discipline and delivering success in front of their home supporters.
More than 23,000 militants from about 20 international groups are currently operating in Afghanistan, posing a threat to regional and global security,...
Seven people were killed after gunmen ambushed a police patrol in Kohat, a district in Pakistan’s north-west near the Afghan border, on Tuesday, in ...
Kazakhstan says it's allocated $2.2 million to strengthen scientific monitoring of the Caspian Sea amid growing concern over falling water levels, bio...
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Western governments significantly expanded sanctions targeting Russia’s finance, e...
Robert Carradine, best known for his roles in The Long Riders, Revenge of the Nerds and the television series Lizzie McGuire, has died at the age of 7...
Here are the latest stories from AnewZ’s Africa News programme, focusing on political and security developments across the African continent.
At least 37 people have been killed in flash floods triggered by torrential rain in Morocco's Atlantic coastal province of Safi, Moroccan authorities said on Monday (15 December).
At least 37 people have died and dozens of others were injured after flash floods swept through Morocco’s Atlantic coastal city of Safi on Sunday, authorities said.
At least 19 people were killed and 16 injured as two buildings collapased in Morocco's Fes city according to the state news agency.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
Mexican authorities said on Sunday that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Seven people were killed after gunmen ambushed a police patrol in Kohat, a district in Pakistan’s north-west near the Afghan border, on Tuesday, in an attack that comes amid rising militant violence and heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Western governments significantly expanded sanctions targeting Russia’s finance, energy, trade and technology sectors. The measures built on restrictions first imposed in 2014 following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.
Britain imposed its largest package of sanctions on Russia in years on Tuesday (24 February), marking the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, as London also announced fresh military and humanitarian support for Kyiv.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 10% global tariffs have come into effect, hours after the Supreme Court blocked many of his sweeping import taxes in a 6–3 ruling. Allies around the world are weighing possible retaliation, while markets brace for further upheaval.
Torrential downpours have triggered deadly mudslides and widespread flooding in southern Peru, leaving at least seventeen people dead - including fifteen killed in a military helicopter crash - as hundreds of districts across the country remain under a state of emergency.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment