Morocco's national football team had its sights set on Eintracht Frankfurt's forward, Younes Ebnoutalib, for the upcoming international fixtures. However, the team's coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, expressed some disappointment during a press conference when he confirmed that Ebnoutalib had opted to accept an invitation from Jürgen Klopp to join the German national squad. Ouahbi stated, "I spoke with him and explained the project of Morocco—without making any promises." This decision has left the Moroccan Football Federation empty-handed in their attempt to recruit the talented striker.
In a pointed remark aimed at the German team, Ouahbi emphasized, "The matter is settled. We are ranked sixth in the world and will continue to progress." This comment reflects Morocco's recent performance and contrasts sharply with Germany's struggles, as the DFB team currently sits at twelfth place in the FIFA World Ranking after several disappointing years.
Morocco's footballing success was further highlighted during the recent World Cup, where the North African nation advanced to the quarter-finals, while Germany was eliminated in the round of 16. Four years prior at the tournament in Qatar, Morocco, under Ouahbi's predecessor Walid Regragui, made history as the first African team to reach the semi-finals.
A significant factor contributing to Morocco's recent successes stems from its strategy of recruiting players of Moroccan descent who were born abroad. Out of the 26 players who participated in the World Cup in North America, 19 were born outside of Morocco. Notably, captain Achraf Hakimi was born in Spain, as was Bayern Munich's new signing Ismael Saibari.
While Morocco's ascent to the upper echelons of world football serves as a compelling argument to attract players, it was not enough in Ebnoutalib's case. On a positive note for Moroccan football, there is promising news regarding Schalke's Soufiane El-Faouzi, who was also considered a candidate for Klopp's expansive squad. El-Faouzi is now included in Ouahbi's selection, and should he play in any of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Gabon and Lesotho, he would be ineligible to switch federations.
As reported by fnp.de.
