The Moroccan Football Federation rejected the request submitted by Real Betis regarding their Moroccan player, Abdel Samad Zalzouli, to exempt him from joining the upcoming "Atlas Lions" camp.
The Moroccan Football Federation surprises Real Betis with a decisive decision regarding Zalzouli.
The Moroccan website "Le360 Sport" reported that the Moroccan Federation rejected Real Betis' proposal, which aimed to obtain a license allowing Zalzouli not to respond to the invitation of Mohamed Wahbi, the technical director of the Moroccan national team, to participate in the matches against Gabon and Lesotho scheduled for September 25 and 29 as part of the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations.
According to the same source, Real Betis sought to exempt Zalzouli from joining the upcoming Moroccan national team camp, and thus prevent the player from traveling to South Africa, where the "Atlas Lions" are preparing to face Lesotho in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
It seems that Zalzouli’s participation in Real Betis’ match against Villarreal, which took place yesterday, Monday, as part of the Spanish League competitions, strengthened the position of the Moroccan Federation, after it confirmed that the player is in good health and does not suffer from any injury or physical problem that would prevent him from responding to the national team’s call.
The Moroccan federation's decision comes at a time when Zalzouli is under the spotlight of controversy after he appeared
alongside Real Betis players wearing a shirt bearing the phrase "Todos somos Caballas" (We are all Betis) before facing Villarreal in the Spanish league.
The players of both teams wore the same jersey before the start of the match, which was held at the "La Ceramica" stadium yesterday, Monday, as part of a solidarity initiative with the residents of the city of Ceuta following the migration crisis that the city witnessed during the past weeks.
The phrase carries particular sensitivity in Morocco, given the political status of the city of Ceuta, which is under Spanish administration while Morocco claims sovereignty over it.
Zalzouli’s participation in the initiative sparked reactions and criticism from some Moroccan circles, especially since the player represents the Moroccan national team.
Zalzouli had returned to the starting lineup of his team Real Betis after recovering from injury, and he participated as a starter in the match against Villarreal, which ended with Betis winning 2-1.
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