African football fans may recognize the name Badou Ezzaki from his days as former Morocco national team goalkeeper. Since his retirement, the 56-year old has since moved on to become manager of the national side, but lately, he has been using his spare time to support another sport…boxing. Ezzaki not only got involved with the local boxing association, but has also helped establish a tournament in Dar Bouazza.
Zaki took charge of the Atlas Lions for the second time in his career. He replaced interim coach Hassan Benabicha as Morocco prepare to host next year’s Africa Cup of Nations. Mustapha Hadji, the former Morocco midfielder, has been named as Zaki’s assistant coach.
Several big names were linked with the head coach position, including former Zambia boss Herve Renard, Italian Giovanni Trapattoni and Dutchman Dick Advocaat. 55 year old Zaki is a former international goalkeeper and played for Morocco at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the World Cup two years later in Mexico. He was appointed national team coach in 2002 leading them to the final of the 2004 Nations Cup, where they lost 2-1 in the final to hosts Tunisia.
