Renard apologizes for the Moroccan fans

CAIRO - 6 July 2019: Morocco coach Herve Renard sent a message to his players and fans of the Atlas Lions following the exit of the 2019 African Nations Cup by Benin.

The round started with two matches between Morocco vs Benin and Uganda vs Senegal. Benin shocked the world & eliminated Morocco while Senegal defeated Uganda. Senegal & Benin will meet each other in the AFCON quarter-finals.

Renard expressed his sadness after the surprising elimination.

"I will like to congratulate Benin for their win. They played according to a specific strategy and it worked," Renard said at the post-match press conference.

"We did not find any solutions. We could have won but we failed.

"We had high expectations but still had difficulties against those who adopted a defensive style.

"I am responsible for this defeat. I will like to protect my players and I won't say anything against them even though they did not perform well. I think all the players did their best and I cannot blame them.

"I will like to thank all the fans who came to Egypt to support their team and I feel embarrassed for them."

"I have been in Morocco for three and a half years, but now we have to go home and think about the future," Renard, who won Afcon with Zambia and Cameroon in 2012 and 2015 respectively, added.

"I thank the fans for their support since the first day."