Moroccan coach Badou Zaki is working for Jordan to reach the semi-finals of the 2027 Asian Cup. Who is Zaki?
In his introduction as the new coach of the Jordanian national football team, on Thursday, Moroccan coach Badou Zaki announced that he will work until the “Nashama” team reaches at least the semi-finals of the 2027 Asian Cup.
Badu Al-Zaki (67 years old) said in a press conference in the Jordanian capital, Amman, that he will not make big promises, and achievements are not in press conferences.
He added: "Our goal is to prepare a strong and organized team to compete for the 2027 Asian Nations Cup title. We will work with all seriousness and combat until we are at least in the semi-finals."
He believed that a period of four months is sufficient to prepare for the Asian Cup, which will be held in January 2027 in Saudi Arabia.
The draw for the 2027 Asian Nations Cup placed Jordan, the runner-up, in Group Two alongside Uzbekistan, Bahrain and North Korea.
The Moroccan school continues
The Secretary-General of the Jordanian Football Association, Samar Nassar, said that the contract with Al-Zaki was for one year, with the possibility of renewal by agreement of both parties, to ensure continuous evaluation, achieve the necessary flexibility, and serve the interest of the national team at this stage.
Al-Zaki is the third Moroccan coach in a row for the Jordanian national team, after the appointment of Hussein Amouta in 2023, and Jamal Al-Salami in 2024.
Amouta achieved a Jordanian achievement by reaching the 2023 Asian Cup final with Al-Nashama, and Al-Salami was able to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and reach the 2025 Arab Cup final.
Al-Zaki explained that the Moroccan school achieved historic achievements for the Jordanian national team, and that it came to preserve the gains of its predecessors, develop the group and add new ideas, and not build from scratch, adding: “We want to build a strong team with a strong personality.”
In response to a question from the BBC about the way the Jordanian national team played during his reign, he said: “We will maintain the gains, we will develop the group, we will introduce new ideas, we will not adopt one style, and we can change according to the opponents and the capabilities of the players.”
After the criticism received by the Jordanian national team goalkeeper, Yazid Abu Laila, at the World Cup, Al-Zaki, a former goalkeeper, said that Abu Laila: “He has potential and needs to lose weight... With work and moral communication, we can bring Abu Laila back to his level.”
Who is Badou Zaki?
Zaki is considered one of the most capped players in the history of the Moroccan national team, and has 78 international matches on his record between 1979 and 1992.
Zaki's career as a player witnessed great brilliance, as the former goalkeeper was captain of the Moroccan national team when it reached the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup.
He was crowned the best African player in 1986, and achieved a distinguished career with the Spanish club Real Mallorca.
He participated in four African Cups of Nations and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
On the training level, Zaki supervised the training of many clubs and national teams across Africa, and took over the leadership of the Moroccan national team for two periods.
Zaki led the Moroccan national team to the final of the 2004 African Cup of Nations.
