Santos: Volcano confrontation battle details

Portuguese Fernando Santos, coach of the Royal Moroccan Army football team, confirmed that facing RS Berkane tomorrow, Saturday, in the first leg of the African Champions League semi-final, represents a strategic challenge of the highest caliber, stressing that the identity of the qualifier to the final scene will be decided based on very precise details throughout 180 minutes of play.

Santos outlined the features of the purely Moroccan position in the continental championship during the press conference held today, Friday, at the Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, refusing to talk about the tone of the “most likely candidate,” considering that the arrival of two Moroccan teams in this advanced round reflects the strength of the local league and their international experience.

He said: “We are facing two teams with the same ambition and the same continental experience, so talking about the advantage of one team over another is out of the question. The field is the deciding factor and mental focus is the key.”

The Portuguese coach warned against rushing or considering the first leg to be definitively decisive, explaining: "We must realize that we are playing a match that lasts approximately 200 minutes over two rounds. We will do everything to win tomorrow, but we need tactical discipline and rigor at all times, because the differences between us and the opponent are almost negligible."

Santos recalled his team's path in the current edition, praising the reaction of his players after the only defeat the team suffered in Tanzania at the beginning of the team's journey in the African Championship. He stressed that the hard work exerted in correcting the course is what made the team worthy of being among the top four on the continent today.

Santos did not hide his appreciation for the opponent, saying: "We will face the Moroccan champion, a team we respect a lot, but our ambition has no limits. Our goal is clear, which is to reach the final and make our fans happy, and we have every determination to turn this ambition into reality."

On the other hand, the army coach said that he received a shock on Friday morning when the club management informed him that player Zinedine Darrak had been suspended by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) due to doping, pending a re-examination tomorrow, Saturday.

This confrontation is of great importance for the two teams, as RS Berkane reaches this round of the continental competition for the first time in its history after winning the African Confederation Cup three times, while the Royal Army qualified for the semi-finals for the first time after an absence of thirty-eight years, noting that it was the first Moroccan club to win the continental title in 1985.