Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic has no plans to recall Hakim Ziyech to the side after their Africa Cup of Nations exit and ahead of next month’s decisive World Cup qualifiers.
The Chelsea attacker was left out of the Cup of Nations tournament after Halilhodzic accused him of feigning injury to avoid playing for Morocco in mid-year friendlies last June.
Ziyech, and the highly rated Ajax Amsterdam fullback Noussair Mazraoui, were also excluded from the World Cup qualifiers between September and November where Morocco won all six group matches to advance to the March playoffs.
“He is not a player who can save a national team. I cannot call-up a player who can destroy the spirit in the group, even if his name was Lionel Messi,” he told a news conference on Thursday after the team’s return from Cameroon where they lost in the weekend quarter-finals to Egypt.
“You want me to beg someone to play for the national team? There is a group, a collective spirit, I want to keep that.
“I have already forgiven twice, three is enough! It’s not easy for me either, but we have to respect the coach and the national team,” insisted Halilhodzic, who has been under fire since Morocco’s 2-1 loss to the Egyptians.
The former Yugoslav striker, who has had a long coaching career in France and Africa, told reporters he had no intention of resigning.
“We were very disappointed and frustrated after this match, these last days were difficult but I remain optimistic for Moroccan football. Let me continue to do my best to go to the World Cup.”
Morocco meet the Democratic Republic of Congo over two legs at the end of March in the play-offs for the World Cup in Qatar in November.
Morocco were one of the five African representatives at the last World Cup in Russia in 2018.
