throughout his three-year reign. Soon after Halilhodžić's dismissal, Japan's midfielder Keisuke Honda, who had had an increasingly fractious relationship with the Bosnian throughout 2017 over the head coach's rigid tactics, came out publicly against the fired coach by saying: "To submit myself to the kind of football Halilhodžić played in order to get picked, that would be shameful for me. I'm proud that I've stayed true to myself". On 24 May 2018, Halilhodžić launched a lawsuit in a Tokyo district court against the JFA president Kozo Tashima, believing that he was fired illegally—specifically that Tashima failed to consult the JFA board when dismissing Halilhodžić. In July 2018, he was on a 4-man shortlist for the vacant Egyptian national team manager job alongside Quique Sánchez Flores, Jorge Luis Pinto, and Javier Aguirre. Aguirre ended up getting hired. Nantes In October 2018, Halilhodžić became the new manager of FC Nantes, a club he had played for as a striker. His first win came on 22 October when Nantes beat Toulouse 4–0 at the Stade de la Beaujoire. On 5 May 2019, Nantes beat Dijon at home 3–0 and Halilhodžić made a club record, winning five Ligue 1 matches in a row, a venture which was not done in over 18 years in the club. Halilhodžić's Nantes beat Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain, Amiens, Marseille and at the end Dijon to capture that record. On 2 August 2019, Halilhodžić decided to leave Nantes after disagreements with the club's owner and president Waldemar Kita. Morocco In August 2019, it was confirmed that Halilhodžić would take over as the Morocco national team's new manager. His first win came on 10 September when Morocco beat Niger 1–0 at the Stade de Marrakech. On 29 March 2022, Halilhodžić qualified Morocco for the 2022 World Cup, eliminating DR Congo in the CAF Third Round qualifiers. On 11 August 2022, Halilhodžić was officially sacked by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation over disagreements with its president on how the team should move forward. This marked the third time—the other two being Ivory Coast and Japan—Halilhodžić was sacked before a World Cup tournament after prior successful qualification. Personal life During the Bosnian War in 1992, Halilhodžić was wounded in Mostar but recovered within a few months. He left Mostar in May 1993 due to threats received from the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) as the armed conflict between Bosniaks and Croats escalated in Herzegovina.