Morocco manager Walid Regragui described Saturday’s third place play-off as the “worst game to play”, but says his players “have the appetite” to end their World Cup on a high.
The North Africans, who this week became the first from their continent to reach the last four of a global finals, take on Croatia at Khalifa International Stadium.
Morocco were beaten 2-0 in Wednesday’s semi-final by reigning champions France – their first defeat in six matches at Qatar 2022. Croatia, meanwhile, lost their last-four clash, on Tuesday, to Argentina.
"I guess it the worst game that we have to play," Regragui told reporters on Friday. "But we're still excited to play it despite the disappointment. We obviously would have liked to be in the actual final, but there is third place we play for. We want to finish on the podium.
"It is going to be quite difficult with fatigue, but there are also mental hurdles that we need to overcome. We know that Croatia will also want to finish third. We played them in our first game so it will be a nice finisher. It will be no walk in the park."
Morocco, who qualified for the knockouts for the first time in 36 years, have been one of the stories of the World Cup. They finished top of a group containing Croatia and Belgium, defeating the latter, while they knocked out Spain on penalties before beating Portugal in the quarter-final.
On Wednesday, although they lost, Morocco outplayed France for large spells. Still, Regragui said the team would need to come to terms with the result, and relinquishing the opportunity to go on to win the World Cup.
"We need to clear our heads a little bit,” he said. "When you play a semi-final, and it was our first at a World Cup, the emotions are running high. It was quite difficult coming out of that game.
"However, my players still have the appetite. They want to finish well, and they know they've still got one game with everything to play for. They have understood what is at stake.
"Obviously finishing third is not the same as the finishing fourth, and it would be great to take a medal home with us. We want to ensure that we finish well, and my players have digested the defeat by France.
"They've got their heads around the fact they are part of the best teams in the world. We need to clear our heads and go into this game with our heads held high."
Morocco opened their World Cup campaign on November 23 with a goalless draw with Croatia. The 2018 runners-up, who finished second in Group F, were beaten 3-0 in their semi-final with Argentina. Argentina and France contest the showpiece on Sunday.
"We knew that Croatia were going to be one of the best teams in the competition,” Regragui said. "After the first game we noted that our performance was very good and we had a lot of people saying that Croatia were coming to the end of a cycle and we could sweep the rug from under their feet.
"We know that Croatia got a lot of stick because they weren't able to beat Morocco, who were meant to be the underdog. Now we've both reached the semi-finals.
"I believe tomorrow will be very different to the first game. There was a lot of respect and preparation and hesitation during the first game. But going into tomorrow, both sides have had a lot more game time.
"I hope that we're going to be able to put on a good show for the end of the tournament. There will be good tactics, and both teams will be in it to win it. I think it will be a more open game from both sides.
"It is important we play our football - Moroccan football with a positive attitude and you give everything. After this game I hope we have no regrets. That is important for our team."
Regragui, 47, has impressed throughout his brief tenure with his national team. Appointed only in August, the former international has suffered a solitary defeat in nine matches – albeit his greatest test, against France, the country of his birth.
Regragui, who confirmed captain Romain Saiss is unavailable for Croatia because of injury, did concede Saturday’s match felt like a consolation prize after going so close to reaching the final.
Yet he said he understands the benefit of finishing third, and that there should be no problem rallying his battle-weary troops for one final push.
"I don't really need to motivate my team; we are at a World Cup and we are representing Morocco,” Regragui said. “Every game is important, even friendlies, for our supporters. We want to win those too.
"The objective tomorrow is to get that third place because we want to push as far as we can go. We want to up our Fifa ranking. If we finish third in the world we'll be able to boost our Fifa ranking.
"We know the next African team that come against Morocco will know that we can give them a run for their money. Not only because we got to the semi-finals, but we also managed to get our hands on that third place.
"We want to show what we're made of and also pave a way for a better future for Moroccan football. It will be extraordinary if we finish third in a World Cup."
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Last-16 Europa League fixtures
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
