MOROCCO

Returning from a year's play in the UAE, Raja Casablanca striker Soufiane Alloudi vows to raise the level of play in the Moroccan Premier League.

Raja Casablanca striker Soufiane Alloudi, who was named Morocco's top male athlete in 2007, has come home. After spending a year in the United Arab Emirates, the footballer has returned to play in the Moroccan Premier League. The former Moroccan forward spoke to Magharebia about his time at Al Ain Emarati and his ambitions for his team.

Magharebia: Could you tell us a little about your experience with Al Ain?

Soufiane Alloudi: I learned a lot of things with the club in the United Arab Emirates, of course. Every experience is an asset and a bonus. I can honestly say I gained valuable experience at this club, which is highly professional in terms of technique, marketing and football tactics, especially the relationship between the players and the manager. I really loved playing for the team. I was with some great people and was well trained. The club is managed by a team of professionals who know exactly how a football team should be run. Basically, everything was geared towards getting players to give the best of themselves.

But I must also say that I still need the Moroccan league to raise my game, in particular by acquiring a new and more effective pace. At the same time, I really hope our league will move forward and develop. I want our league, like the European leagues, to achieve a better, exciting and convincing tactical standard. I think my return will not contribute a great deal to the national league, but the return of other international players like Amine Erbati, Bouchaib Lmabareki and Abdelhak El Arif will raise the standard of the league.

Magharebia: What's your view of Raja Casablanca following the departure of Mozer and the return of José Romao?

Alloudi: I think the players didn't have a great rapport with their manager, Carlos Mozer. In fact, the players and the manager weren't getting on. There were always problems, which were often useless. The team couldn't go on like that. In my view, harmony between the players and their manager is necessary and essential if we are to move forward.

Magharebia: Does that mean that José Romao is the right man for the job at the moment?

Alloudi: Definitely. As for myself, I have a very good relationship with all the staff at my club, Raja, and particularly with our Portuguese manager, José Romao, who is a friend to me and my team-mates. I think this manager has the respect of both the players and the management of the club. Everyone within a team has to get on, in my opinion. You have to have a rapport and friendship between the players and the manager so that both sides can discuss things.

Magharebia: Do you think RCA is ready for the challenges of the next few matches, especially against Arab and African sides?

Alloudi: I believe Raja Casablanca now has everything it needs to move forward, so I'm absolutely certain that our team will meet the challenges of these matches. We're not going to give up. The players want to win all these competitions, both national and Arab, for our wonderful fans who always support us and also for the image of this great Moroccan football club. In a nutshell, I can tell you and reassure all of Raja's fans that we're on course to do well in all of our competitions this year.

Magharebia: And what about the Moroccan national team?

Alloudi: First of all, I should point out that I've been out of the national team for a year because of my injury, but I always follow all their matches. In general, the problem that the national team has is that there is no consistency in terms of which players are selected. And that's no secret. All the matches for the combined World Cup and 2010 African Cup of Nations qualifiers were played by different line-ups. But it's acceptable for our national team to be lacking a certain consistency in terms of its players. All I can say is that the players all respect one another, and that's fundamentally important for any team. I hope their match against Cameroon in Fes will have a positive outcome and that it will help reconcile the fans and the team. We really need that to happen.

By Hassan Benmehdi for Magharebia in Casablanca