Exclusive: Morocco has given hope to all, says Karim Bencherifa ahead of the semifinal clash

Former Moroccan player and coach Karim Bencherifa believes that the entire world, apart from the French supporters are rooting for Morocco ahead of the delicious semifinal contest between the two sides on Wednesday at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Qatar.

Speaking toWION's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo,Bencherifa shared the plan that Morocco might be using against France to cause another upset. He also reflected that the Moroccan dream hadgiven hope to not only Africa,Asia or the Arab worldbut to all those countries and teams dreaming of making it to the World Cup.

"Since Morocco qualified for the last eight and you notice the eight teams, Morocco was kind of new in that scenario. All the other teams were strong teams, they had won something...they had been in the World Cup semifinals or finals,"Bencherifa told WION.

"The other teams were among the top 10. Morocco became the representative of not only Africa,Asia or the Arab world but of all those teams that dreamed of participating in the World Cup."

"Most of the teams know how difficult it is to reach the World Cup. With the performances we had done, we gave hope to all. Now we are playing France. While France is being supported by the French supporters, the Moroccan team is being supported by the rest of the world. that is the general feeling we have."

When asked about the tactics the 'Atlas Lions' will be employing to beat the 2018 champions, the 54-year-old who is a legend in the Indian footballing circuit said Morocco will not deviate from what they had been doing so far in the tournament.

"The same way we did against other teams.We are happy to give the ball, give them the possession and stay compact and hit them on the counter."

"France's strength is also that. Though France is a stronger team, they also like to stay strong defensively and hit on the counter with fast skilful players like Mbappe."

When quizzed if how special this World Cup run was for the people of Morocco,Bencherifa cited the example of the Moroccan King breaking the protocol and celebrating with the public.

"I think after beating Spain, our king, the prince and his son were in the streets with their car, celebrating with the people which is amazing. This is something that doesn't happen every day and it shows how special is this occasion."

Morocco's fairy-tale run at the quadrennial event has been made all the more endearing by the special, familial post-match celebrations where players' mothers and fathers have joined them to relish the victories.

Bencherifa pointed out that the celebration by the players showed the culture of Morocco and the tight-knit family setup.

"Having families with the players in the World Cup is nothing special. Other teams have done it and do it all the time. Butwhat is special about Morocco is that it showed the culture of the Moroccan family. Usually, in other teams, the fiances or the wives are there. For Morocco, it was more about family. The mother and the fathers were visible. in our culture, we stay tight as a family."

Morocco is the first African country to have ever reached the last four stage in the 92-year history of the World Cup. If Morocco does manage to get the better of France they will square up against Argentina in the final on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium.

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