When asked about the reason for excluding the left-handed player, Halilhodzic said, “The cohesion of the group is a fragile issue, and some bad behavior can destabilize it.” He added: “There is a good atmosphere now and I will not allow anyone to spoil that.”
The Bosnian-French coach explained: “It has been settled for me for a while. The Moroccan national team is sacred and I do not allow anyone to take advantage of it or tamper with it. I will also not allow anyone to influence the atmosphere of the Moroccan team. I accept all decisions and trust the group I have chosen. We have signed the A special year that is close to saying goodbye, we scored 9 victories and one draw.”
The coach’s relationship with the Moroccan star witnessed tension, which led to his exclusion from the national team list in the recent period for disciplinary reasons, similar to Nassir Mazraoui, a remarkably brilliant defender with Ajax Amsterdam.
On Thursday, Halilhodzic revealed a preliminary list of 25 players to participate in the African Nations Cup in Cameroon early next year, inviting for the first time to Barcelona’s Spanish winger Abdel Samad Zalzouli.
The “Atlas Lions”, the African champions only once in 1976, during the upcoming finals between January 9 and February 6, will rely on players, most of whom are professionals in Europe, led by French Paris Saint-Germain star Ashraf Hakimi, and Seville strikers Youssef Al-Nusairi and Munir Al-Hadadi Angers midfielder Azzedine Mahe was also called up for the first time.
It is expected that the final list of the team (23 players) will be announced before December 30, knowing that the draw placed Morocco in Group C along with Ghana, Comoros and Gabon.
The initial list was as follows:
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla, Spain), Mounir El Mohamady El Kajoui (Hatay Sport Turkey), Anas Zeniti (Raja Casablanca).
Defenders: Hakimi, Sofiane Akouch (French Metz), Adam Messina (Watford, England), Soufiane El Karaouani (Niejmegen, Netherlands), Sami Mayi (Fernkvarosh, Hungary), Sofian Chakla (Villarreal, Spain), Ghanem Sais (Wolverhampton, England), Naif Akrad (Rennes). French).
Midfield: Faisal Fajer (Sivasspor, Turkey), Sofian Amrabat (Fiorentina, Italy), Salim Imlah (Standard Liege, Belgium), Ayman Barkouk (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Elias Shaer (Queens Park Rangers, England), Imran Loza (Watford, England), Ezz Religion Unahi (French Angers).
Forwards: El Haddadi, El-Nesyri, Sofiane Boufal (Angers), Ryan Mayi (Ferencvarouch), Ayoub El Kaabi (Hatay Sport Turkey), Zalzouli, Zakaria Abu Dhal (Alkmaar Dutch).
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