LAST UPDATE | 14 Dec 2022
AS WITH MOST people, Yassine En-Neyah was not expecting Morocco to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
For all its well-documented controversies off the pitch, Qatar 2022 has produced plenty of thrills on the field and the Moroccans becoming the first-ever African team to make it to the final four is arguably the biggest as well as the most surprising and joyous story of the competition.
En-Neyah, a footballer who last month was competing for Waterford in the promotion-relegation playoff final, has in recent weeks been cheering on the nation in which he was born.
Time and again, Walid Regragui’s team have upset the odds. Few people expected them to emerge from a group that included Belgium and Croatia, let alone defeat Spain and Portugal in the knockout stages.
“It’s phenomenal,” En-Neyah tells The42. “Nobody actually expected Morocco to get so far. They’ve really pushed on and shown that they can compete with anyone.”
He was away and missed the first two matches, but has watched all the other fixtures with a group of Arab friends and is planning to meet up with them again for tonight’s encounter, with wild celebrations likely to ensue should they win.
En-Neyah has lived most of his life in Ireland, having moved there from Morocco. Yet he still is an avid follower of the Moroccan team and knows some of their squad on a personal level.
“For example, Ilias [Chair], I played against him when I was at Nottingham Forest. I know him very well. So I do know a few of them personally,” he adds.
But despite being more familiar with the players than most, En-Neyah was not tipping them as pre-tournament dark horses to triumph.
With the exception of a select few such as Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, the vast majority of the Moroccan squad are not plying their trade at the top level of European football.
Included in their group are footballers from clubs in Saudi Arabia, Morocco (naturally), Qatar, and Turkey. Others play in Italy and France, but in many instances for relatively unglamorous clubs like Bari and Angers.
“To be fair, what I heard, and the vibe I got from some of the guys that I know in the team is they are literally just taking it game by game and not really getting ahead of ourselves, even if we do win a game or two. Take it game by game and grow in confidence and just give it everything for whatever game is next.”
He continues: “There are not as many players playing in the top division, though there are really good individuals.
“But it’s about putting a team together, which I think the manager has done really well.
“We’ve put a team that is not just technically gifted, but tactically, and they want to buy into what he wants. So I think that’s an important part of why they had so much success because of their management.”
And does En-Neyah believe Morocco can cause further shocks and win the competition outright?
“Tactically, they need to be as good as they were the last few games. If they do that, I think they will achieve a lot. I don’t see why they can’t do it.”
But regardless of what happens from this point onwards, En-Neyah has taken great joy in watching the team play.
“I’m very proud. I love seeing a nation come together as well. Oh, it’s an atmosphere in the house when you’re watching the game, and even after the game, you’re seeing families get together, friends get together, and celebrate. And I’m even seeing [people with no interest in football normally]. Everyone knows everything about the game whereas I don’t usually see that when it’s a normal season. It really does bring everybody together.”
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En-Neyah was eight years old when he moved to Dublin, growing up in the Corduff area of Blanchardstown.
In Morocco, he was accustomed to playing football in the streets. Ireland, though, was different.
The youngster thrived in this unfamiliar environment. After initially playing locally with Corduff, he joined Bohemians, which then paved the way for a move to Nottingham Forest at the age of 16.
“It was like heaven on earth,” he says of his first impressions of Dublin. “I’m seeing grass everywhere. I’m seeing a lot of football clubs. It was just amazing.
“I felt like I could express myself and go into an actual club. There’s a pathway where I can actually achieve my goals and dreams, which I actually fulfilled when I came to Ireland.
“I didn’t know football was going to take me that far at first and I’m very fortunate to have the experiences that I’ve had.
“I was playing with some of the best players in the world who are now shining. I was in the changing room with some players that are playing in the Premier League now.”
Although he still goes back to visit family in Morocco “at least twice a year,” Ireland is considered very much a second home. Adapting to this new life was not easy initially, but football proved a crucial part of the adjustment and he gradually began to feel settled.
“It definitely helped me in school as well, because I was the little star. It kind of made me feel at home in a way because I didn’t feel like I was left out.
“Everybody wanted to be around me and play with me and everybody wanted me to be on their team. So I was very fortunate to have football on my side because it did help me a lot.
“I didn’t speak any English. Football was my language.
“It was only my mum that I had here. I went to school, and I went to football and it was just completely different. So I was able to pick up the language in a year because obviously, I was just mainly surrounded by people speaking English. I only spoke Arabic at home.”
Eventually, En-Neyah also got to know people who shared a similar background to him.
“When I was younger, I didn’t really do much more than just play football and go to school and go home. And the older I got, the more I got to know other Arabs like Algerians and Moroccans. And then we kind of started doing stuff together, watching football together.
“I am in the UK now and I actually still meet up with them because they’ve moved across, and they have different jobs so it did give me that platform when I actually met some of the Arab community in Ireland that I can actually [meet up with people] even when I’m abroad.”
As a teenager, En-Neyah was talented enough to secure “a lot of trials” across the water. With a couple of options subsequently at his disposal, he agreed to join Nottingham Forest ultimately.
“It was the right move for me in terms of development, in terms of achieving what I want to achieve,” he says. “And I feel like I’ve done that in the last few years.”
His teammates at underage level included Brennan Johnson, now a Wales international playing regularly with Forest in the Premier League.
Ex-Ireland international Daryl Murphy was also part of the Forest side upon his arrival there, while his spell coincided too with the short-lived stint of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.
“Roy Keane kind of guided me as well as a young kid coming up,” he says. “I was actually surprised to say that he’s been really good to me. From my perspective, he was a completely different character than what you’d see on TV.
“I was comfortable talking to him. He was coming to watch our games all the time, even though he was in charge [as an assistant] of the first team. When we had 23s games, he’d come over and watch. And obviously, when I went over to train with the first team, he would always be nice and give people good information. I never felt like I was intimidated or anything.”
Despite making a first-team appearance off the bench during an FA Cup tie against Chelsea, in the summer of 2021, En-Neyah opted to leave Forest with a year left on his contract. Entering his early 20s, he was well aware that playing regular senior football was paramount and so decided to take his chances elsewhere.
Having witnessed the considerable number of new arrivals at the club, especially since their promotion to the Premier League, he increasingly feels the decision to leave has been vindicated.
Since moving back to Ireland last year, he has twice been signed by Ian Morris, first for Shelbourne, where he helped the club earn promotion from the First Division, and then Waterford.
And he still has an appreciation for the manager who has had a major influence on his career, despite Morris’ departure from the Blues back in April.
“Ian Morris is one of the best managers I’ve had in terms of he’s a good manager, but he’s also a good person, he knows what players need to actually develop.
“What he’s really keen on is your work and what you’re up to and what you’re doing and how you’re performing. Even for example, when he left Waterford, he still kept checking up on me and watching the games and how we were doing.
“So I think that’s a positive because not a lot of people would leave a job, still keep up and wish the club the best. And that really does tell me a lot about him.
“I’ve known him for a couple of years now. Even before I left Ireland [for England], he’s just always been there to give me good advice on how to improve my game.”
En-Neyah helped Waterford come second in the First Division in the most recent campaign, finishing just four points behind title winners Cork City.
It meant they had to overcome the notoriously tricky terrain of the play-offs, beating Treaty United and Galway, before falling at the final hurdle against UCD.
Whether he lines out at the RSC next season remains to be seen.
“I’m still not decided yet,” he says. “The club wants to offer me a new deal. We’re just kind of in talks right now. Obviously, I’ve not made my mind up.
“I think I would definitely rather continue my career here in England. I do have a few interests in League One and League Two. But at the same time, it’s about where you’re going to make a career and make a name for yourself.
“You could be going somewhere where it’s a big league, but you’re not playing at all and you’re just sitting on the bench.”
En-Neyah was accomplished enough to represent Ireland up until the age of 16 but was prevented from continuing on at that point as he did not hold an Irish passport.
Delays caused by the pandemic were a further obstacle before he officially secured Irish citizenship last year.
“Hopefully, now I can continue to be able to make a name for myself and actually get into the national team,” he says.
Yet Morocco have also expressed significant interest in the player.
“I’ve spoken to the head coach and he’s a really good coach in Morocco because he looks at different leagues, different players, and he looks at the players that could suit the team rather than them just playing at a high level — that’s why he’s so good at doing what he’s doing.
“He doesn’t care about your background or what league you’re in. If you can fit into the team he has in mind, he’ll call you up. I have had numerous conversations with him since he’s taken over because he knows about me and I’m the main Moroccan person that has played in Ireland and the UK, coming along in the Nottingham Forest academy.
“He did speak to me and he said just to keep doing what I’m doing, and he’ll be watching me. He mentioned a few of the games I’ve actually played in and gave the impression that he’s actually been watching the games too, not just hearing about me.”
Consequently, if En-Neyah can keep progressing, he may be faced with a difficult call down the line over which country to represent.
“I could have a few decisions to make in the future. I think it’s a good position to be in when you have options, but obviously, I’d have to pick which one is best for my career at the end of the day, and obviously with what my heart goes with when the right moment comes.”
