Walid Rekragui, coach of the Moroccan national football team, said that he had “talked a lot” with Barcelona’s rising winger, Amine Djamel, to convince him to represent the “Atlas Lions”, but he will wait to know his decision when Spain’s squad is announced on Friday.
Jamal, 16, was born in Spain to a Moroccan father, and impressed everyone with his level in the youth sector with Barcelona until he became a prominent element in the first team of the Spanish champion this season.
His brilliance at an early age prompted Morocco and Spain to compete for his attraction in the next international period.
Jamal was absent from the Regragui squad, which he announced today, Thursday, to face Liberia in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers and Burkina Faso, in a friendly match next month.
Regragui, who led Morocco to a historic achievement by reaching the semi-finals in the World Cup in Qatar last year, said in a press conference that he had contacted Jamal and offered him to join the Atlas Lions in the future.
Rekragui explained that the Moroccan Federation’s talent scouts have monitored Jamal’s development since he was ten years old. He added, “Jamal is facing a great challenge and a historic decision. He is still young, and any decision he makes must be respected.”
He continued, “I spoke with him a lot, and we hope he chooses Morocco. He is Moroccan and his father is Moroccan, but there is no need to pressure him, and we will not get ahead of events.”
Ziyech’s exclusion
Al-Rakraki’s list witnessed the absence of winger Hakim Ziyech, who was recently transferred to Galatasaray, Turkey, while he included elements of the under-23 team that won the African Championship.
The winger, Ziyash, who starred in the Qatar finals, left the squad to focus on his new move with Galatasaray, after being loaned from Chelsea.
Al-Rakraki indicated that Ziyash did not go through a pre-season period to preoccupy himself with his future, while others were ruled out for injury, such as Sofiane Boufal, the Qatari wing of Al-Rayyan.
German striker Amin Adly joined Bayer Leverkusen for the first time, alongside elements of the U-23 team that won the African Championship, most notably Ismail Al-Sibari, who led Dutch PSV Eindhoven to qualify for the group stage in the Champions League last night, and Amir Richardson.
Defender Younes Abdel Hamid and Amin Harith, the Olympique de Marseille player, returned to the list, as Morocco will play with Liberia in Agadir on the ninth of September, after already qualifying for the Nations Cup finals in Ivory Coast in early 2024, then he will face Burkina Faso in a friendly match in Lens, France.
The Moroccan national team squad was as follows:
Goalkeepers: Yassin Bounou (Saudi Al-Hilal), Youssef Motea (Wydad), Mounir Al-Mohammadi (Saudi Al-Wehda), Al-Mahdi Benabeed (Royal Army).
Defenders: Roman Sayes (Al-Sadd, Qatar), Naseer Mazraoui (Bayern Munich), Jawad Al-Yamiq (Al-Wahda, Saudi Arabia), Ashraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Nayef Akrad (West Ham, England), Younis Abdel-Hamid and Amir Richardson (Reims, France). ), and Abdel Kabir Baqar (Alaves, Spain), Yahya Atiyatallah (Wydad).
Midfielders: Sofiane Amrabat (Fiorentina, Italy), Benjamin Bouchouari (Saint-Etienne, France), Salim Amlah (Valencia, Spain), Ezzedine Onahi and Amine Hareth (Olympique de Marseille, France), Bilal Al-Khanous (Genk, Belgium), Ismail Al-Sibari (PSV Eindhoven), Ibrahim Salah (Rennes, France).
Attackers: Youssef Al-Nusairi (Sevilla, Spain), Abd Al-Razzaq Hamdallah (Al-Ittihad, Saudi Arabia), Zakaria Abu Khalil (Toulouse, France), Anas Zrouri (Burnley, England), Walid Shadira (Frosinone, Italy), Amin Adly (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany), Ayoub Al-Kaabi (Greek Olympiacos), Abdel Samad Al Zalzouli (Barcelona, Spain).
