Rabat – Moroccan football player Abderrazak Hamdallah, who plays for Saudi Club Al-Ittihad, has apologized to Moroccan fans and officials for leaving the Moroccan national team’s camp in 2019, saying that it was a “dark point” in his football career.
“I personally think that I should not have made this mistake … I did it unintentionally and did not think of the consequences,” he said. Hamdallah made the statement during an interview with Waleed Al Farra at the Saudi show “Action Ma3 Waleed.”
The Moroccan international added that he suffered “serious consequences” because of his mistake, one of which was being absent from the Moroccan national team for the past three years.
He expressed his thanks to Moroccan fans for their support and extended his apologies to them for his actions.
When asked about his relationship with the other Moroccan players, Hamdallah described it as “excellent,” stressing that he maintains “constant communication” with up to 70% of the players. He refuted rumors suggesting that he has a poor relationship with the national team.
The World Cup dream
“Just like all Moroccan football players, I dream to play in the World Cup,” Hamdallah stressed, adding that he “opened a new page” with the Atlas Lions’ head coach Walid Regragui.
Hoping that Regragui will call him up to play, Hamdallah promised he would give his all during the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup. If he does not get called up for the global tournament, Hamdallah vowed to be the Atlas Lions’ “biggest supporter.”
Describing the Moroccan squad as a “strong team,” Hamdallah is hopeful that Morocco can qualify for the World Cup’s second round.
Last September, Morocco’s newly appointed head coach Regragui revealed the list of the 32 players expected to take part in the team’s upcoming matches, but Hamdallah was noticeably absent.
Since then, Regragui has been facing immense pressure from the Atlas Lions’ fans, who stressed that the Moroccan striker should feature on the World Cup squad list.
Read also: Regragui: Our Goal is To Make Our Fans Proud
However, Regragui emphasized that he has been determined to make decisions that serve the best interest of the team. He called on fans to support the national team throughout the World Cup and respect his decision as the head coach.
He explained that there are players who are “more ready” than Hamdallah, who has been absent from the pitch following his suspension. Last August, the Ethics Committee of Saudi Arabia’s Football Association decided to fine and suspend the Moroccan player for four months.
The decision came after voice notes between Hamdallah and Hamed Al-Balawi, Al-Ittihad’s Executive Director, were leaked. In the recordings, which date back to when the Moroccan player was under contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr, Al-Balawi was allegedly urging the Moroccan player to terminate his contract with Al-Nasr and join his club, Al-Ittihad.
