Morocco coach Walid Regragui has once again reflected on his side's 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, including the match against South Africa that saw them get dumped out of the competition.
With the Atlas Lions having been knocked out by Bafana Bafana in the round of 16, their head coach has once again apologised to his nation and taken accountability for the team being kicked out of the tournament despite going into it as one of the favourites.
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"First, I ask forgiveness from the fans and people of Morocco. I have failed, and I will never shirk my responsibility," he told Arryadia, via Kooora.
"The Football Association gave me good conditions to prepare for AFCON perfectly, from the Moroccan camp to the residence in Cote d'Ivoire, and there are no excuses to hide behind, so I reiterate that I am responsible, and I have absolved the players."
Morocco were unable to replicate their 2022 FIFA World Cup heroics, which saw them become the first-ever African nation to reach that competition's semi-finals. Instead, their run at AFCON 2023 came to an end when they were beat 2-0 by Hugo Broos' men.
The Atlas Lions did have a golden opportunity to get themselves back into that game when they were awarded a penalty in the 85th minute with the score at 1-0.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi stepped up to take the spot-kick, but missed the opportunity to bring the game back to level terms when he smashed the ball against the crossbar and over.
Speaking on the penalty miss, Regragui explained that it was he who instructed the fullback to take it, before going on to state that he felt his team controlled that game but failed to deal with South Africa's attacks when it counted.
"I was the one who asked him to shoot, and he is a bold player, and he took responsibility ably... Unfortunately, he missed it, but the fans should not forget how Hakimi scored in the Panenka style against Spain in the World Cup in Qatar," the 48-year-old continued.
"I was not so bad as to dramatise things, because we dominated during the South Africa match, and took possession of the ball, but from a small number of attacks they scored against us and qualified."
The Atlas Lions boss went on to explain the odd nature of Morocco's AFCON 2023 campaign, but ensured that evaluations will take place in order to prevent such disappointments going forward.
The coach also admitted there were players who underperformed during the course of the competition, but refused to name them.
"This was strange, and the evidence for that is that a dead team won the cup, namely Cote d'Ivoire. We have completed a study on what happened, and we will evaluate it in order to benefit from what happened and correct it in the future.
"I will not specify who let me down in terms of performance, but it happened, and I am responsible because I was the one who chose the elements that participated in the tournament."
Regragui also reflected on the bust-up he had with DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba immediately after the referee blew the final whistle to call an end to the Group F game that ended 1-1.
"I learned a lesson that I will never forget for the rest of my life, which is not to go out to a rival player in the future, because things deviated from the truth, and things were fabricated that did not happen, and contributed to the tension in the atmosphere," he concluded.
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