Morocco’s Coach Announces AFCON Pre-Selected Players

Rabat – The head coach of Morocco’s national team, Herve Renard, has released the list of the footballers pre-selected for training  2019 African Cup of Nations (CAN).

The list includes Hakim Ziyech and Abderrazak Hamdallah, who have both performed well with their international football clubs this season.

Hamdallah, who plays for Al Nasser football club,  was honored in Saudi Arabia recently, where he won the Golden Shoe Award. He was also awarded the title of best scorer in the Saudi Football Championship, topping the charts of Saudi Football as the top goal scorer ever recorded.

Ziyech, who plays for Dutch football club Ajax, Amsterdam, will join the 26 other players expected to clinch the AFCON title this year for Morocco.

Ziyech’s teammate, Noussair Mazraoui, who scooped the Talent of the Year award in Ajax, has also been selected.

The list of players includes Sofiane Boufal, who was just ranked the best dribbler in Spain’s La Liga.

Morocco’s captain Mehdi Benatia will lead the Atlas’ Lions, joined by Moroccan league players, including Ahmed Reda El Tagnaouti from Wydad Casablanca, as well as Abdelali El Mhamdi from RS Berkane.

The pre-selected list also includes two goalkeepers: Mounir El Kajoui El Mohammadi, who plays for Spain’s Malaga, and  Yassine Bounou who plays for Gerona.

Noureddine Amrabat, the 2018 World Cup warrior, whose name made headlines during the first phase of the international competition last year, will rejoin the Lions.

Herve Renard pleased Atlas Lions fans as by including Achraf Hakimi among the pre-selected players. Hakimi was injured in  April while playing for his international football club, Borussia Dortmund.

The list also includes:

Mbark Boussoufa, midfielder

Ayoub El Kaabi, forward

Karim Ahmadi, midfielder

Younes Belhanda, attacking midfielder

Fayssal El Fajr, attacking midfielder

Youssef En-Nesyri, striker

Abdelkarim Baadi, left winger

Khalid Boutaib, striker

Amine Harit, midfielder

Oussama El Idrissi, winger

El Mahdi Bourabia, midfielder

Ghanim Saiss, defender/ midfielder

Marouane Da Costa, center-back

Youssef Ait Bennasser, midfielder

Morocco’s football team will test the new squad with two friendly games ahead of AFCON, the Atlas Lions are set to play against Zambia and Gambia.