Some unrest around Couhaib Driouech. At least, unrest is too strong a word, but there are question marks hanging over the head of winger Couhaib Driouech.
The international match for Couhaib Driouech is different than usual. While players and staff of the Dutch Juniors gathered in Zeist on Monday afternoon for a new international match, it was mainly about the big absentee. Couhaib Driouech was supposed to join coach Michael Reiziger’s team for the first time this week, but after some misunderstandings with FIFA it turned out that Couhaib Driouech was not eligible to play. A major setback, but what exactly is going on?
Driouech, born in Haarlem, played a total of nine international matches for Morocco Under-23, the last of which as a starter against Young Wales last March. In the summer of 2023 he won the Africa Cup Under-23 with the Moroccan promises. The matches at that tournament now appear to be binding after all, FIFA communicated to the KNVB.
The KNVB invited Driouech this week to get acquainted with playing in the Orange uniform for an Orange team. Since the Dutch Juniors are playing two friendly matches this week, against Young Slovakia and Young England, the association was under the assumption that Driouech could simply participate. However, it became clear at the last minute that this would require an overwrite procedure.
That appears to have been too short a day for the matches on Thursday and Monday. Moreover, such a procedure immediately means that Driouech’s choice would have to become final. The non-binding walk-along, which was the approach this week, no longer applies and that raised questions. Driouech can then no longer play for representative teams of Morocco. All this together has made both parties decide to take a pause. Driouech therefore did not report to Zeist on Monday.
National coach Reiziger is disappointed with the situation that has arisen. Reiziger likes Couhaib Driouech playing for the Dutch team and went for it. Reiziger was therefore busy in contact with Driouech on behalf of the KNVB. The national coach is very disappointed with the whole situation surrounding the talented attacker, who made a top transfer from Excelsior to PSV last summer. Driouech has played eleven official matches so far, in which he scored two goals and two assists. Couhaib Driouech is therefore experiencing excellent development and is reaching a much higher level than he was used to before his transfer to PSV.
‘It went wrong in an area that was not yet very clear to us. I think it is also the first time that we have done this from the Netherlands, that we have actually invited someone from another country. We really thought that a friendly match is not binding. There has been miscommunication with FIFA. FIFA wasn’t really sure either, they weren’t completely clear, it’s a gray area. But in the end they said: he will retain his Moroccan football nationality. That is why he could not be registered for these matches,” said a disappointed Michael Reiziger about the situation surrounding Couhaib Driouech, who seems to soon have to make a choice between playing for the Dutch national team or the Moroccan national team.
