Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech out of Morocco squad, Morocco coach reveals reason
Hakim Ziyech, a Chelsea player, has been left out of Morocco’s preliminary Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad due to a disruptive influence, according to coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
Halilhodzic has named a 25-man squad, with the final list to be revealed on December 30.
However, it appears highly unlikely that Ziyech will be granted a last-minute reprieve for Cameroon’s biennial Africa football showpiece, which runs from 9 January to 6 February.
Ziyech and Halilhodzic have been at odds since last summer, when the veteran coach chastised him for his indiscipline.
“The cohesion of the squad is very fragile and bad behaviour could destabilise it,” said Halilhodzic at a press conference.
Despite threats from European clubs to withhold their African players, Halilhodzic has included several in his Morocco squad.
Paris Saint-Germain winger Achraf Hakimi, forward Youssef En-Nesyri, and Barcelona right wing Abdessamad Ezzalzouli are among them.
Morocco kicks off their campaign against Ghana on January 10, followed by games against the Comoros (14 January) and Gabon (15 January) (18 January).
MOROCCO AFCON SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla/ESP), Munir El Kajoui (Hatayspor/TUR), Anas Zniti (Raja de Casablanca)
Defenders: Soufiane Chakla (Louvain/BEL), Samy Mmaee (Ferencváros/HUN), Ghanem Saïss (Wolverhampton/ENG), Nayef Aguerd (Rennes/FRA), Achraf Hakimi (PSG/FRA), Souffian El Karouani (Nijmegen/NED), Adam Massina (Watford/ENG), Sofiane Alakouch (Metz/FRA)
Midfielders: Fayçal Fajr (Sivasspor/TUR), Soufiane Amrabat (Fiorentina/ITA), Aymane Barkok (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers/ENG) Imran Louza (Watford/ENG), Azzedine Ounahi (Angers/FRA, Selim Amallah (Standard Liege/BEL)
Forwards: Soufiane Boufal (Angers/FRA), Munir Haddadi (Sevilla/ESP), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla/ESP), Ryan Mmaee (Ferencvaros/HUN), Ayoub El Kaabi (Hatayspor/TUR), Zakaria Boukhlal (AZ Alkmaar/NED), Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Barcelona/ESP)
Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech out of Morocco squad, Morocco coach reveals reason
 squad, Morocco coach reveals reason){kind=link}