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Join on Telegram Rabat – French football club Toulouse FC joined Morocco’s football federation and fans to condemn accusations made by Moroccan news outlet Achkayen against football star Zakaria Aboukhlal.
“The Toulouse Football Club condemns the accusations made by a news platform with regard to our player Zakaria Aboukhlal,” the club said.
The statement comes in response to a shocking report published by Achkayen, in which the outlet accuses the Atlas Lion of “religious extremism.”
The news outlet claimed that Aboukhalal “took advantage” of the team’s World Cup achievement to “attract more followers” to adopt “his religious views that he had received from Salafi religious scholars in Europe.”
The news report also accused Aboukhlal of “pushing German media to accuse the entire team of belonging to a terrorist group.”
The controversial report sparked outrage and uproar not only from Moroccan fans and the county’s football federation but also from the football player’s club, which expressed unwavering support for their star.
Toulouse FC stressed that the whole club joins forces with the Moroccan Football Federation to ensure its “full support and confidence” in Aboukhlal.
Toulouse also condemned the accusations by Achkayen, describing them as “false, unfounded and degrading.”
Toulouse stressed that it reserves all rights to use all of its resources to defend the image and the integrity of Aboukhlal against accusations that seek to damage his reputation.
Morocco’s football federation echoed similar sentiments in a condemnatory statement on Sunday.
The federation denied the accuracy of Achkayen’s report, stressing that Aboukhlal had been exemplary.
The federation emphasized that it would take legal action to “protect members of the national football team,” reiterating that it “refutes all false claims that extend to their behavior or their personal lives while they are fulfilling their national duties.”
Aboukhlal made international headlines along with his teammates in the national football team, due to their historic fairytale run during the 2022 World Cup.
Morocco became the first African and Arab country to qualify for the semi-finals in World Cup history, an achievement that made international headlines.
The Atlas Lions’ achievement was celebrated in a heroic homecoming ceremony, with thousands of football fans from across Morocco flocking to Rabat last Tuesday to welcome the team.
