Rabat – Spanish-Moroccan football prodigy Lamine Yamal is sitting out his third match with Spain for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Scotland and Norway, fueling hopes in some circles that he can still legally opt to play with the Moroccan national team.
Under FIFA regulations, a dual nationality player can choose to play with either country as long as they played two games or less with the other.
The FIFA law explains why Spain has been desperate to seal Yamal’s stay with its national team but making him play very few minutes in the Euro 2024 qualifying matches.
The 16-year-old player sustained an injury in his left leg during Barcelona’s game against Granada on Sunday.
Spain was desperate to have Lamine Yamal in their squad for the two matches despite his injury. Had the Barcelona prodigy played in either fixture, Morocco would have been ultimately unable to call him up.
Reports indicate that Morocco is still seeking to convince Lamine Yamal to switch allegiance. Following his injury, the Moroccan side still has a few weeks to persuade the player to commit to the Moroccan national team instead.
Earlier this month, the 16-year-old footballer announced his decision to represent Spain’s national team.
Born to a Moroccan father, Yamal has long been on the radar of the Moroccan football federation. The federation’s interest intensified following the young player’s impressive performances with Barcelona at the start of this season.
Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui had warned against exerting pressure on the young football player, saying that “the essential thing is that the player, as well as his father, are Moroccans. No need to put pressure on the player and his decisions.”
Regragui’s remark may have been a hit at the intensive Spanish media campaign that was attempting to pressure the young player to join Spain.
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