The players of the national football team, who reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, on Tuesday expressed their happiness and pride following the audience granted to them by King Mohammed VI at the Royal Palace in Rabat.
Atlas Lions captain Ghanem Saïss stressed in a statement to the press that the team is “very honoured” to have been received by King Mohammed VI. “It is a huge honor to be able to meet the King”said Saïss, while expressing his thanks to the Sovereign for His efforts to develop national football. “Many players from the Mohammed VI Football Academy are joining the national team, which shows the importance” of the work done by the King, noted the captain of the Atlas Lions.
“We had a quality World Cup and above all we showed great values, human values, the values of Morocco in general, which allowed us to reach this level of competition.“, added the Moroccan international for whom “a page in the history of football has been written in Morocco and I hope that this is only the beginning and that we will continue to write beautiful pages in this history”.
For his part, Sofyan Amrabat said he was happy with the audience granted by King Mohammed VI to the members of the national football team. “It’s a dream come true. I am very happy to have met our King”, welcomed the midfielder of the Atlas Lions. Amrabat also thanked the Moroccan people for the warm welcome he gave to the national team as well as for the support he showed them throughout the World Cup in Qatar. He also did not fail to thank the Moroccans of the world for their support and encouragement. ” It’s incredible. I never seen that in my life. As if we had won the World Cup”he launched. “We are very proud to have brought joy to our people”added the national team midfielder.
“Meeting the King is a great joy for us”underlined, for his part, Achraf Hakimi. “We were among ourselves, locked up, but coming here and seeing the Moroccan people so happy gives us a lot of motivation and strength for the great successes that our national team will experience, Added the right side of the Atlas Lions. “We gave everything this month to make our country proud”said Hakimi.
As for Jawad El Yamiq, he also said he was honored by the audience granted by the Sovereign to the Atlas Lions. “We are very proud to have honored our country,” said the central defender. “We have been treated to a wonderful welcome from the Moroccan public since our arrival at the airport”added El Yamiq, expressing his pride in the feat achieved by the Atlas Lions during the World Cup in Qatar. “We will continue to work to honor Morocco and Africa”underlined the defender.
King Mohammed VI, accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and Prince Moulay Rachid, received in the Throne Room at the Royal Palace in Rabat, the members of the National Football Team, after their brilliant performance at the World Cup in Qatar.
This audience reflects the great solicitude with which His Majesty the King has never ceased to surround young people and the particular interest that the Sovereign grants to the sports sector in general and to football in particular.
It follows the historic and unprecedented feat achieved by the National Team which was able to reach the semi-finals of the competition, the first and most resounding success of the kind of Moroccan, Arab and African football, during the final stages of this global sporting event.
During this audience, the Sovereign decorated the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lakjaâ, the coach of the National Team, Walid Regragui, and the players of the national team, who were accompanied by their mothers , of Ouissams Royals.
The members of the National Team had returned to the Kingdom late Tuesday afternoon. The inhabitants of Rabat, Salé and other cities of the Kingdom gave them a warm welcome. Thus, since their arrival at Rabat-Salé airport, and throughout their route, the Atlas Lions have been applauded by a large audience to cheer them and salute their achievement.