2022 World Cup: Morocco boss Walid Regragui declares state of emergency ahead of France clash

Morocco coach Walid Regragui is said to have declared a state of emergency in the Atlas Lions camp before their World Cup semi-final match against France on Wednesday.

Morocco have made history by reaching this stage, becoming the first African country to play in the World Cup semi-finals, and they hope to set another record by reaching the final at the expense of defending champions.

And, according to a source close to the Atlas Lions, the camp is completely closed, making it difficult to contact any of the players.

The source added as quoted by Kooora.com "Regraki forced the players to hand over their phones to the mission management, with the aim of putting them in a state of full concentration."

He continued, "The players only get on their phones for two hours a day in the evening, and then they go to their rooms, in order to go to sleep."

The source explained that the technical staff monitors the players' intake of food and drinks on a regular basis and also imposes a strict regime on the entire mission.

The Atlas Lions had captured the world's attention, after they qualified at the expense of Belgium and Canada from Group F, then beat Spain in the World Cup final price, before eliminating Portugal in the last eight.

In the World Cup's history, no African or Arab team had ever advanced to the semi-finals.