Soufiane El-Faouzi Chooses Morocco Over Germany

The talented Schalke midfielder, Soufiane El-Faouzi, has seemingly made a definitive choice to represent Morocco instead of the German national team. The 24-year-old, who hails from Siegen, had been considered a potential candidate for Jürgen Klopp's squad, but now finds himself included in the Moroccan roster for upcoming international matches against Gabon, Lesotho, and Ghana. El-Faouzi previously participated in a friendly match for Morocco against Burundi in May, where they secured a convincing 5-0 victory, although he has yet to establish a permanent position within the team.

Younes Ebnoutalib's Shift to the German National Team

In a notable turn of events, Frankfurt's Bundesliga star Younes Ebnoutalib has accepted an invitation from German head coach Jürgen Klopp to join the national team, a decision that prompted a slight jab from Morocco's coach, Mohamed Ouahbi. Ouahbi noted that Morocco had been monitoring Ebnoutalib since the previous season, recognizing his potential as a player with an interesting profile. "I spoke with him and outlined the Moroccan project without making any promises," Ouahbi stated, expressing disappointment that Ebnoutalib chose to go in a different direction. He emphasized that while Ebnoutalib deserved a call-up, the matter is now settled as Morocco continues to aim high, currently ranked sixth in the world, while the DFB team is positioned at twelfth.

El-Faouzi is not alone in his commitment to the Moroccan national team, as the squad also features four other Bundesliga players. This 29-member roster is led by Achraf Hakimi from Paris Saint-Germain, the UEFA Champions League winners. The team includes Ismael Saibari (Bayern Munich), Zakaria El Ouahdi (HSV), Neil El Aynaoui (RB Leipzig), and Bilal El Khannouss (VfB Stuttgart). The matches scheduled for September 25 in Rabat against Gabon, and four days later in Bloemfontein, South Africa against Lesotho, are part of the qualification process for the Africa Cup of Nations 2027, while the game against Ghana on October 4 in Tangier is intended for testing purposes.

As reported by mopo.de.