Algeria Football– The coach of the Moroccan national team, Walid Regragui, is determined to resolve the crisis surrounding his star player, Hakim Ziyech, who plays for Galatasaray. Indeed, Ziyech recently deleted photos of his collaboration with the Atlas Lions on his Instagram account, which raised concerns about a possible international retirement, especially before the decisive match against the Central African Republic in the framework of the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
According to sources close to the technical team cited by Al Araby, Regragui received agreement from the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, to travel to Turkey and meet Ziyech. The aim is to discuss Ziyech’s post, which seemed to hint that he might be considering international retirement. Note that Ziyech’s absence during the last two matches was not due to a desire to withdraw, but to an injury which prevented him from participating in training.
A source said Regragui wanted to ease tensions within the team ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in Morocco next year. He is aware that internal disagreements could harm the team’s preparation.
To strengthen this dynamic, Regragui is planning a European tour starting next week, during which he will meet several Moroccan players playing in Europe, notably those who have recently suffered from injuries, such as Noussair Mazraoui of Manchester United, Chadi Riad of Crystal Palace , Brahim Diaz of Real Madrid, and Nayef Aguerd of Real Sociedad. This initiative aims to assess their physical condition for the matches against Gabon and Lesotho next November, counting for the CAN 2025 qualifiers.
Regragui therefore seems committed to resolving the tensions around Ziyech while ensuring the integration of his injured players to strengthen the competitiveness of the Moroccan team on the continental scene.
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