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Rabat – Despite insisting on many occasions that he would not call Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech back to the Moroccan national team, Morocco’s Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic is now claiming that it is the 28-year-old playmaker who “doesn’t want to come back.”
Halilhodzic was spotted attending Saturday’s match between Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca and Egypt’s Zamalek in the 3rd round of the CAF Champions League group stage at the Mohammed V Complex in Casablanca.
The national team coach was greeted by hostile slogans from football fans as many chanted Ziyech’s name in the stadium, referring to how he was unfairly dismissed from playing with the Atlas Lions during the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Les supporters du Wydad Casablanca crient « ALLEZ ZIYECH » à répétition en direction du sélectionneur Vahid Halilhodžić présent dans le stade. ???
[@Izemanass] pic.twitter.com/udlU0EbKTH
— Joueurs Marocains ?? (@JoueursMA) February 26, 2022
Unlike Vahid’s previous remarks where he insisted he would not include Ziyech in his squad for the World Cup play-off games against DR Congo, he was captured in a video and appeared more “welcoming” to the idea of having the Chelsea playmaker back.
Questioned by fans about Ziyech’s situation with the national team, Halilhodzic claimed he wants the Chelsea player to return to the national team. “I want him to come back, but [Ziyech] doesn’t want to,” the coach said.
? | Vahid Halilhodžić :
« Moi je veux qu’il revienne [Ziyech], c’est lui qui ne veut pas »
Une histoire interminable…
— Joueurs Marocains ?? (@JoueursMA) February 27, 2022
Halilhodzic’s words appear contradictory to a number of previous statements in which he firmly dismissed suggestions of calling Ziyech back to the national team for the World Cup playoffs.
Before and after the AFCON, Halilhozdic was adamant that Ziyech’s “disrespectful” behavior and lack of discipline is not a good fit for the team.
As many disgruntled Atlas Lions fans attributed Morocco’s disappointing AFCON exit to the absence of a player of Ziyech’s level in the Moroccan midfield, Halilhodzic insisted in his first post-AFCON press conference that he would not “beg” Ziyech to play for Morocco.
“You want me to beg someone to join the national team? I can’t summon someone who can blow up the team,” the coach said in a press conference on February 3.
Read also: Ziyech’s Forced Retirement: A Disgrace to Morocco’s Football Federation
After it emerged that he would not play for Morocco at the just concluded AFCON because of his supposed lack of discipline and misbehavior, Ziyech took to social media to suggest that Halilhodzic had not told the truth about what happened.
“Next time when you speak, SPEAK THE TRUTH THEN… !!!” the midfielder said on Instagram.
Following Morocco’s AFCON exit, the 28-years old player then announced on February 8 his decision not to return to Morocco’s national team. Noting that he was “sorry for the fans,” Ziyech suggested that his retirement from international duties was due to the fact that he felt unwanted and unwelcome in the national team.
Hallilhodzic’s stubborn refusal to select Ziyech and Noussair Mazroui has been sparking outrage among Moroccan football enthusiasts, with many saying the coach was unfit to manage the Moroccan team, calling on him to leave after Atlas Lions left the AFCON in the quarter-final game against Egypt.
Morocco will play World Cup playoffs against DR Congo next month and coach Hallilhodzic is expected to unveil the list of players summoned on March 17.
