Called up for the first time with the Morocco A selection at the age of 28 in October, Jamal Harkass made two starts against the Central African Republic (5-0, 4-0).
Unfortunately for the central defender of Wydad Casablancathe party was partly spoiled by whistles coming from the stands of the Oujda Honor Stadiumwhere some supporters obviously did not digest his departure from MC Oujda in 2021 and the fact that he then celebrated a goal with Raja Casablanca, which led to him being targeted in both matches.
L’ex-Lion of the Atlas
Abdeslam Ouaddou, who was his coach for a few months at MC Oujda, condemned these actions in an exclusive interview with Afrik-Foot.
“It’s stupid! Stupid, really! Especially since he’s a boy I trained briefly in the past. He returns to his land, to his club. He was whistled by the public for extra-sporting considerations, which have nothing to do with football. Instead of welcoming this kid from the club in the best possible way, he was booed by the public. He was received in a detestable way that I regret. I don’t think we should accept that, it’s a very bad mentality. I didn’t like it“, lamented the 45-year-old man.
During this gathering, Harkass made his debut for the selection, alongside another local, left back Youssef Belammari (26 years old, Raja Casablanca), who also had two tenures.
“Walid (Regragui) called on them because they deserved it. He gave them a chance. They are not there by chance. It’s good to highlight footballers who play in the local championship. African teams have more confidence in footballers playing in Europe, but I think it’s also good to look at what’s happening locally“, greeted Ouaddou.
“They did well”
Overall, the two locals had a successful debut, as the former central defender believes:
“They honored their first selections. They returned timidly, there was a little pressure, that’s normal. They did well, they did the job and we shouldn’t ask more from these players for the moment.“
It remains to be seen whether the two men will succeed in establishing themselves in positions where competition is significant, notably with Aguerd, Saiss, Chadi Riad, Abqar, Abdelhamid and Dari on the axis and Mazraoui, Aznou and Attiat-Allah on the left.
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