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Rabat – Moroccan footballer Abderrazak Hamdallah has allegedly left the training camp where Morocco’s Atlas Lions are currently preparing for the 2019 African Cup of Nations (CAN).
Moroccan journalist Ayoub El Basri from Radio Mars announced the news after talking to a source close to the footballer, leaving doors open for rumors and speculation.
Several local sports outlets suggested that the footballer left due to problems with the other players on the Atlas Lions team.
Read Also: Morocco’s Abderrazak Hamdallah Top Scorer in Saudi League History
Al Mountakhab reported that the major reason is the behavior of Moroccan footballer Faisal Fajr during the Morocco-Gambia friendly game. Hamdallah was supposed to kick the penalty for the Atlas Lions. In a surprising move, Fajr took the ball from Hamdallah’s hand and played the penalty instead.
Fajr missed the penalty which would have leveled the score.
Hamdallah made the list of the 23 footballers selected to join Morocco’s CAN squad. Morocco’s Royal Football Federation and head coach of the national football team Herve Renard has not yet confirmed the news.
The news comes after a friendly game played between Morocco and Gambia on Wednesday, June 12. Gambia defeated the national team by 1-0.
It remains to be seen whether the FRMF will deny or confirm the news.
Hamdallah currently plays for the Saudi football club of Al Nassr. The club awarded him the Golden Shoe Award and the title of the best scorer of the Saudi Football Championship during the 2018-2019 season for making history by topping the charts of Saudi Football as the top goal scorer ever recorded.
In March, Renard and Hamdallah had a small rift after Hamdallah rejected Renard’s invitation to play with Morocco in March.
The BBC reported that the footballer could not accept Renard’s invitation for personal reasons relating to his family.
Renard has commented on Hamdallah’s decision, saying that he spoke to him on the phone.
“He declined for reasons you know, I had 33 other players to manage, so I turned the page.”
Hamdallah made his debut with the Atlas Lions in a friendly against Burkina Faso in February 2012.
