France98 – Morocco

4th Qualifier
Confederation: C.A.F. (Africa)

Size: 710,800 km²

Population: 26,000,000

Capital: Rabat

Main cities: Agadir, Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangiers

System of government: Monarchy

Head of State: King Hassan II

Currency: Dirham

Time difference: 2 hours behind Paris

1st round Africa zone: exempt

2nd round:

09/11/1996 Morocco – Sierra Leone 4-0

12/01/1997 Ghana – Morocco 2-2

06/04/1997 Gabon – Morocco 0-4 (match abandoned after 55 minutes)

26/04/1997 Sierra Leone – Morocco 0-1

07/06/1997 Morocco – Ghana 1-0

17/08/1997 Morocco – Gabon

1st in Group 5:

13 points

12 goals scored

2 goals conceded

A typical line-up during the qualifiers:

Goalkeeper: BRAZI (age 32)

Defenders: SABER (age 23) ROSSI (age 23) NAYBET (age 27)

EL HADRIOUI (age 25)

Mid-field: AZZOUZI (age 26) CHIPPO (age 24)

CHIBA (age 26)

Strikers: EL HADJI (age 25) BASSIR (age 23)

BAHJA (age 23)

Number of players used during the qualifiers: 23

National team colours: Red and green

FIFA ranking (on 18 July 1997): 15th

World Cup: Participated in 3 World Cup finals competitions: 1970, 1986 and 1994.

1970: knocked out in the first round 1986: knocked out in the round of sixteen by Germany (0-1)

1994 : knocked out in the first round.

Participated 7 times
winner in 1976 in Ethiopia

Henri MICHEL
Before going on to become a great coach, he was first a great player, for the most part with FC Nantes, winning 3 French championship medals and one French Cup. Capped 58 times for his country, he played in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina alongside Michel Platini. In 1982 he switched to coaching, and guided the French Olympic team to the gold medal at the 1984 games in Los Angeles. He then took over from Michel Hidalgo at the head of the French national team, which he helped to third place in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He parted company with the French team in 1988 to take over the reins at Paris SG, and then, following a break from football, took charge of the Cameroon team which he took to the 1994 World Cup finals in the USA. After a spell in Saudi Arabia, he became the Moroccan National Team Coach in September 1995. And, as we know, once again qualified his team for the finals. In 1998 Henri Michel will be taking part in his fourth World Cup, his third as a coach.