The Royal Moroccan Football Federation on Monday denied rumors that national team coach Vahid Halilhodzic had been dismissed from his post, confirming in a tweet that the Bosnian was out of the country on holiday.
The statement came in response to reports circulating on some online platforms and news outlets that claimed that a decision to dismiss the 69-year-old had been taken by the federation earlier in the day.
It said: “No meeting took place today between the president of the federation and the national coach, the latter who is still on a special holiday outside Morocco and will join the Mohammed VI Football Academy this week, as previously announced.” Liverpool’s top strikers, Egyptian Mohamed Salah and Senegalese Sadio Mane, have received presidential advice not to obsess over winning the Ballon d’Or.
“They (Salah and Mane) shouldn’t obsess over the Ballon d’Or, rather they should focus on their performances and try to improve more,” Liberia’s retired football legend and current president George Weah told Canal+.
The first and, so far, only African footballer to have won the prestigious award in 1995, Weah was quoted by African media saying that “Liverpool’s duo must not put unnecessary pressure on themselves.”
He continued: “I always worked hard to get my family out of poverty, that’s how I was awarded the Ballon d’Or.”
Reports said the Liberian president urged Salah and Mane to shift their focus toward improving their individual performances, especially with Liverpool in fierce competition with rivals Manchester City to win the Premier League title.
Weah played in Liberia, the Ivory Coast and Cameroon before moving to Europe, where he had a sparkling career with clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Marseille and AC Milan.
He also had brief spells with Chelsea and Manchester City before ending his career in the UAE’s Al-Jazira Club.
With many observers and analysts believing the Reds’ front duo are constant nominees for the annual prize, Salah and Mane have been a central pillar to Liverpool’s success in recent years, helping them win the UEFA Champions League title in 2019 and qualifying for this year’s semifinal against Spanish club Villarreal.
