Rabat (Morocco), Sep 23 (IANS): The Moroccan Football Federation appointed Rachid Taoussi as the new coach of the national team replacing Belgian Eric Gerets, who was sacked last Saturday.

Taoussi, 56, is considered one of the most famous Moroccan coaches and had a bright career with the country's clubs, reports Xinhua.

He led the national youth team to the African Cup of Nations victory in 1997 before leading the club MAS to win three cups in 2011 -- the African Confederation Cup, Moroccan Throne Cup and the African Cup of Excellency.

Gerets had led Morocco to several defeats since he was in command from July 2010, the last one being a 2-0 loss to Mozambique Sep 9 in Maputo in the third and final round qualification for the African Cup of Nations.

Morocco will face an uphill battle when they meet Mozambique in Marrakkech Oct 13. They need to win by a three-goal margin to reach next year's Nations Cup finals in South Africa.