Hearts swing in French hometown of Morocco coach Regragui

CORBEIL-ESSONNES, France : Ahead of the World Cup semi-final between Morocco and France, Hichem Sayadi is feeling torn by divided loyalties.

Speaking from his local sports hall in a French suburb south of Paris, where Morocco coach Walid Regragui started playing football, and wearing a Paris St Germain tracksuit, the 29-year- old says he will eventually come down on the side of Morocco.

"(Regragui) is from around here, he has played where we play, and also it is an African team ... it is historic," said Sayadi, who is French-Algerian, adding that "it kills me to be against Kylian (Mbappe)."

Appointed coach of Morocco's national team this year, Regragui, 47, started his football journey in Corbeil-Essonnes, less than 30km from the French capital, where he grew up.

He played for mainly French teams, including AC Ajaccio, Dijon and Grenoble, as well as for Morocco from 2001-09.

At the World Cup in Qatar, Morocco beat Belgium to top their group before overcoming Spain and Portugal to become the first African and Arab team to reach the last four in the global showpiece event.

In Regragui's neighbourhood of Montconseil, tower blocks surround the sports hall and a commercial centre of mostly closed shops.

Residents, many of African origin, say their "hearts swing" and they are sitting "between two chairs" as Wednesday's match brings up multiple identities and sporting allegiances.

Team mates and friends will face each other on the pitch, including Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi who both play for Paris St Germain. Regragui played alongside France striker Olivier Giroud for Grenoble in 2008.

There is a sense of historical redress in Morocco's journey in which they have knocked former colonial powers out of the tournament, including their