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Moroccan international and FC Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is likely to miss Morocco’s much-anticipated World Cup playoffs against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Bounou got hurt during warm-up for Sevilla FC’s championship match against Real Sociedad on Sunday, and he ceded his position to the Serbian Marko Dmitrovic, Sevilla’s number two goalkeeper.
With Bounou having been consistently ranked among the best goalkeepers in Europe’s elite football leagues, his injury has possibly dealt a blow to Morocco’s Atlas Lions ahead of a two-legged, decisive confrontation against DR Congo.
Should the Sevilla keeper not be fit for the Atlas Lions’ World Cup playoffs, Hatayspor’s Munir El Mohamedi is the most likely replacement. El Mohamedi was Morocco’s number one keeper at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but Bounou’s spectacular form in the past three years has made him Morocco’s uncontested first choice.
The probable absence of Bounou for Morocco’s World Cup playoffs puts the Moroccan team’s Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic in a tight impasse amid Moroccan football fans’ concerns over his disagreement with some of Atlas Lions’ key players.
Last month, as fans vented their frustration at the Atlas Lions for a disappointing exit from this year’s Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON), Bounou appeared to appease Moroccans by promising a World Cup qualification.
Conscious that they punched below their weight at AFCON and incensed fans with a dispiriting quarter-final display, the Sevilla keeper suggested in an interview with Morocco’s state news agency, Atlas Lions are ready to put the AFCON debacle behind them and win back the hearts of Moroccans by qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 30-year-old Bounou’s solid performances were one of the few positives for Morocco’s Atlas Lions at AFCON.
In Sevilla, meanwhile, the Moroccan’s majestuous form since 2019 has made him the Spanish club’s undisputed starter in goal. Earlier last month, Bounou was awarded the new LaLiga Santander Mid-Season African MVP Award for his outstanding performances with Sevilla.
According to La Liga, the Sevilla goalkeeper has conceded 13 goals in 18 games, the equivalent of one goal every 144 minutes, the best ratio of goals conceded per minute so far this season in Spain’s top-tier football league.
