Rabat – Young footballer Yaniv Edery could be the first Israeli player to join Morocco’s national football team. The Israeli-Moroccan athlete has expressed his dream of representing the Atlas Lions.
The 17-year-old plays for the Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim team in the Israeli league.
Before joining the Israeli club, Edery perfected his skills with the Marcet Academy in Barcelona, Spain.
Yaniv Edery told Morocco World News that after US President Donald Trump announced Morocco and Israel agreed to establish full diplomatic ties, members of the Moroccan Royal Football Federation (FRMF) approached him about joining the team. Prior to the normalization announcement, they had spotted his skill in Spain.
After the announcement, players of Morocco’s national football team also sent him several messages of support and encouragement.
“For me to represent Morocco would be a point of pride. I have always loved Morocco, which I have visited several times, and it would be a great honor to represent the Lions,” said the young footballer, whose parents and grandparents lived within the Jewish community in Morocco.
“I will do everything so that representatives of the national team come to see me play so that I can prove to everyone that I have the required level to play for the national team,” he added.
He also expressed his readiness to come to Morocco and take the necessary tests otherwise.
Yaniv Edery shared his thoughts on the social aspect of the sport today, saying that “there is a lot of racism in football, but we should face it.”
“I also think that no matter what religion we embrace, Muslims, Jews, or Christians, we are all Moroccans and proud of it,” he concluded.
A number of countries around the world welcomed Morocco’s decision to resume diplomatic ties with Israel.
Leaders from Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, the UAE, and a number of Western countries have spoken warmly of the news in the sense that it could help bring peace to the Middle East.
