Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech and Ajax defender Noussair Mazraoui have declined to return to the National Team.
Following an announcement on Sunday from FRMF president Fouzi Lekjaa that both players had been called up for the upcoming world cup qualifiers, Ziyech and Mazraoui took to Instagram to decline the invite.
Ziyech expressed that he “had no choice,” claiming that the Atlas Lions’ leadership continued to release “misinformation” about him and his commitment to the national squad.
“Their actions have made it impossible for me to continue to be part of the team,” Ziyech wrote, apologizing to his fans, and stating that he won’t be returning to play for the Moroccan national team.
“My focus as a player is at my club Chelsea FC,” he concluded in his Instagram post.
The 28-year-old Chelsea star had previously announced his retirement from national football back in February, after being ostracized in the wake of a dispute with the national team’s coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
For his part, Mazraoui also declined to return to the national squad, directly referring to the tension between him and Halilhodzic.
“For the past 1.5 years, I haven’t been called up for the national team with no reason or explanation, he wrote, adding, “I’ve never felt this lack of respect towards me as a professional athlete or as a person in general.”
“Unfortunately, the coach didn’t have time to meet and discuss the situation that was created around me as a player of El Mountakhab,” Mazraoui’s Instagram post read.
The 2022 Qatar World Cup playoffs are set to take place in late March.
Morocco’s first game against DR Congo is scheduled on March 25, taking place in Congo’s capital Kinshasa at the Martyrs Stadium, starting at 4 p.m.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.