Spain Pressures Abde Ezzalzouli Not to Represent Morocco

Fez – Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is putting pressure on FC Barcelona’s wonderkid Abdessamad Ezzalzouli after his featuring on Morocco’s head coach squad list for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) 2021.

The RFEF urged the young Moroccan talent not to answer Morocco’s call to the upcoming AFCON 2021 due to take place next month in Cameroon.

In turn, the federation promises to call up the player to Spain’s football team’s future matches, Qatari sports channel beIN SPORTS indicated.

Since Xavi Hernandez’s arrival as the head coach of FC Barcelona, the Moroccan star has been delivering eye-catching performances placing him as a key player of the Spanish club.

Following recent performances with the Catalan club games, the Spanish press launched a fierce campaign putting pressure on the player to represent Spain’s football team.

Yet, Ezzalzouli seems determined to represent the Moroccan national team and shine in the upcoming AFCON that will see Morocco clash with strong opponents.

On his Instagram page, Ezzalzouli made it clear that he intends to represent the Moroccan side, adding that he is a player of Morocco’s national football team.

“I spoke with Ezzalzouli on the phone lately and said encouraging words. He is very proud to wear the Moroccan jersey,” said Halilodzic during the December 23 press conference.

Morocco’s football team coach also praised the player’s recent performances, indicating that he is a rising talent in the field.

Ezzalzouli is the first Moroccan-born player to feature for the Blaugrana. He joined FC Barcelona B this summer coming from second-tier Spanish club Hercules CF for a three-year deal.

This is not the first time that the Beni Mellal-born player was called to represent one of Morocco’s national football team categories. In March 2020, he was called to represent Morocco’s U20 national team in their friendly game against Tunisia, but he did not feature in the line-up.

Moroccan players have historically faced pressure from European football federations to represent their teams.

The Dutch football federation has made several attempts throughout the years to convince players such as Oussama Idrissi, Hakim Ziyech, Nordin Amrabat, and Sofyan Amrabat to play for them.

Several international players criticized the way the Dutch federation has been dealing with Moroccan players. Former international football player Ruud Gullit stated that the Dutch federation should reconsider its plans to invest in Moroccan-Dutch football players.

Gullit expressed concerns that Moroccan players, faced by the dilemma to choose between two nations, tend to choose Morocco.