Morocco is welcoming anyone who deserves to wear Morocco’s national football jersey, the head coach of the Atlas Lions said.
Rabat – Head coach of Morocco’s national football team, Vahid Halilhodzic, unveiled today the list of 24 football players who will participate in the Atlas Lions’ next two matches, against Burundi and Mauritania, as part of the 2021 CAN Qualifier games.
Halilhodzic presented the lineup during a press conference ahead of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) matches against Burundi and Mauritania.
Morocco’s Atlas Lions will play against Mauritania on March 26. The second qualifier match this month will be against Burundi on March 30.
Halilhodzic called up football players signed with both local and international clubs.
Two newcomers appear in the lineup—Adam Masina (Watford / England) and Sofian Chakla (Villarreal / Spain).
The lineup also includes Yassine Bounou, who has experienced a triumphant streak with Spanish club Sevilla.
The goalkeeper helped his team secure several wins in Spain’s La Liga, one of the most-watched and renowned leagues in Morocco and across the world.
The goalkeepers Vahid Halilhodzic summoned also include Munir El Kajoui, who plays for Turkey’s Hatatyspor, and Anas Zniti, who is one of Raja of Casablanca’s goalkeepers.
For defenders, the head coach called up Issam Chebak, who plays for Turkey’s Malatyaspor, and Achraf Hakimi, one of the key football players for Morocco’s national team and for Italy’s Inter Milan club.
The list of defenders also includes Belgium’s FC Brugge’s Nabil Dirar, Saiss Ghanem from Wolverhampton in England, and Zouhair Feddal from Sporting in Portugal.
Sofian Amrabat, who plays for Fiorentina in Italy, is on the list of midfielders.
The full list of the football players called up for the qualifier matches with Mauritania and Burundi is as follows:
Goalkeepers:
Yassine Bounou (Sevilla FC / Spain).
Munir El Kajoui (Hatayspor / Turkey).
Anas Zniti (Raja of Casablanca).
Defenders:
Issam Chebake (Malatyaspor / Turkey).
Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan / Italy).
Nabil Dirar (FC Brugge / Belgium).
Adam Masina (Watford / England).
Saiss Ghanem (Wolverhampton / Eng).
Zouhair Feddal (Sporting / Portugal).
Nayef Aguerd (Stade Rennais / France).
Sofian Chakla (Villarreal / Spain).
Midfielders:
Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina / Italy).
Yahya Jabrane (Wydad of Casablanca).
Oussama Tanane (Vitesse Arnhem / Netherlands)
Selim Amallah (Standard de Liege / Belgium).
Aymen Barkok (Dusseldorf / Germany).
Adel Taarabt (Benfica Lisbon / Portugal).
Forwards:
Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea / England).
Soufiane Rahimi (Raja of Casablanca).
Zakaria Aboukhlal (AZ Alkmaar / the Netherlands).
Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla FC / Spain).
Youssef El Arabi (Olympiakos FC / Greece).
Munir El Haddadi (Sevilla FC / Spain).
Ayoub El Kaabi (Wydad of Casablanca).
Halillhodzic said during the press conference today that everyone who deserves Morocco’s jersey on the pitch is welcome.
Morocco’s national football team is the 33rd best squad in the world, according to the latest FIFA ranking.
Morocco is also the fourth best team in Africa, ahead of Nigeria, Egypt, and Cameroon.
