If Hakim Ziyech had any hopes of returning to the Morocco national team in the near future, he should better think about something else. Because according toVahid Halilhodzic, the Chelsea star won’t be back as long as he is the head coach.
Morocco have recently ended their trip to Cameroon for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, losing to Mohamed Salah‘s Egypt in the quarterfinals. The former Ajax playmaker has not been part of the squad.
Things havegone south between Ziyech andHalilhodzic last year and it seems that their relationship hasn’t improved at all since then. If there was any chance for Ziyech to be recalled for the World Cup Qualifiers, the Morocco manager made sure of turning it down.
Morocco head coach blasts Ziyech, says he won’t be recalled to the national team
Halilhodzic made a shocking statement in September 2021, claiming that Ziyech pretended to be injured to skip training.“For the first time in my coaching career I’ve seen a national team player that does not want to train and claims to be injured although medical tests have shown that he can play,” he said, as quoted by As in Spanish.
“I will not tolerate this behavior as long as I’m the head coach. He was not disciplined in Morocco’s last two games and abstained from training. He didn’t look like a player for a national team fighting to qualify for the World Cup,” he added. And it looks like he has notchanged his mind. Nor will he.
“I can’t call a player like Ziyech, even if his name is Lionel Messi. He can ruin the atmosphere in the group,”Halilhodzic said when asked about Ziyech’s absence in the 2021 Afcon. “There is a group and I want to maintain that. I’ve already forgiven him twice, a third time is too much. It is not easy for me but you have to respect that. There’s no turning back.”
Morocco may have been knocked out of the continental cup but they are still on pace for a Qatar 2022 berth. They will face Congo in March in a two-legged playoff with a World Cup spot on the line. And ifHalilhodzic remains in charge of the team, Ziyech will probably not be part of the team.
