Cancellation of International Friendly Match
In a recent development, the President of the Salvadoran Football Federation, Yamil Bukele, announced on Wednesday the cancellation of an international friendly match that was scheduled between El Salvador and Morocco on June 3 in Maryland, USA. This announcement was made public through Bukele's social media channels, where he shared an official statement from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) outlining the reasons for this cancellation.
Reasons Behind the Cancellation
The correspondence detailed that Morocco would not be able to field a significant portion of its squad due to several factors. These included recent outcomes from continental club competitions in both Asia and Europe, with finals set to take place in the week starting May 25. These finals potentially involve clubs that have Moroccan international players in their lineups. Furthermore, changes in the schedules of national competitions in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, alongside injuries to key players, hindered the team's ability to compete effectively.
Given these circumstances, the African federation deemed it impractical to travel to the United States under competitive conditions. They emphasized that sending a diminished squad on May 29, just days before the World Cup begins in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, would be nonsensical. Morocco proposed to reschedule the friendly for June 2 on their home soil, agreeing to cover all logistical expenses; however, this proposal was declined by the Salvadoran federation.
Bukele explained that this decision was influenced by regulatory restrictions and sports planning, as FIFA does not permit friendly matches to be played on different continents on the same date. Additionally, the coaching staff, led by Hernán Darío Gómez, had already set their agenda with two matches planned in the United States.
Following the cancellation, Bukele confirmed that the Salvadoran national team has found a new opponent for the FIFA date. El Salvador will face the Qatar national team on June 6 at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. It was noted that the match would not be televised at the request of the Qatari authorities.
As reported by laprensa.hn.
