There was a time when Hakim Ziyech was the star of the show for Morocco, but the Chelsea player will no longer represent the country.
That’s because he has hugely fallen out with the national team manager Vahid Halilhodzic, with the two embarking in a very public feud over the past few months.
The Chelsea forward recently came out and made it clear on more than one occasion that he wouldn’t return to represent Morocco, and despite a claim he could backtrack on that decision, it doesn’t appear to be the case.
Both Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui have said that, at least as long as Halilhodzic is in charge, they would refuse a call up, and that’s just fine for the manager himself.
Speaking in a press conference and relayed by Foot Mercato, he said: “I speak often with (Fouzi) Lekjaa (the Morocco FA president). Ziyech and Mazraoui were on the list. They made the choice to refuse. We respect this choice, but now it’s over. I won’t speak about them ever again. I’m focusing on my group and the players who have been called up.”
With Chelsea currently in a strange situation following the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich and the impending sale of the club, there are perhaps more important things to focus on in Ziyech’s life right now, and this may be all for the best.
With Halilhodzic being 69 and the Blues forward 28, it’s likely that the former will move on before the latter retires, meaning a new chance for him to represent his country under a manager with whom he doesn’t have any issues could come up in the future.
