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Rabat – Real Madrid player Brahim Diaz is on the verge of changing his sporting nationality to represent Morocco, Spanish sports outlet Marca quoted “sources close to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation” as saying.
The transition hinges on finalizing minor administrative details, the report said.
Diaz, who has featured in various categories for the Spanish national team, was excluded from Spain’s recently announced squad list, with Spanish media suggesting that this could trigger a change of heart in the Moroccan-Spanish player.
“Brahim is not willing to wait forever for a national team that does not take him into account [Spain], while the Moroccans ‘love’ him,” Marca said earlier this month.
The outlet noted that the possibility of Diaz’s call-up for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations poses a challenge for Real Madrid, potentially sidelining him in January, a crucial period of the season.
Mohamed Makrouf, the official spokesperson for the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), recently revealed that Real Madrid is urging attacking midfielder Diaz to decline an invitation to play for Morocco’s national football team at the upcoming AFCON.
Read also: Head Coach Regragui Wants to Convince Brahim Diaz to Join Morocco’s Squad
“Brahim Diaz is keen on playing for the Moroccan national team at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, but he is facing pressure from Real Madrid’s management, which aims to retain all its players in January,” Makrouf said on Tunisia’s Radio IFM
Eligibility to change national teams is subject to specific conditions. Players with dual nationality can switch their allegiance if they have played up to three times for a national team before turning 21, including qualification matches, but not World Cup games.
In addition, the player must fulfill certain criteria to represent a different national team, including having at least one biological parent or grandparent born in the federation’s territory.
The 24-year-old midfielder was born in 1999 in Malaga to a Spanish mother and a Moroccan father.
