Hakim Ziyech Issues Defiant Statement After Being Left out Of Morocco Squad

Hakim Ziyech Issues Defiant Statement After Being Left out Of Morocco Squad

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:53 PM
In this article:
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CAF AFCON
Africa
  • Hakim Ziyech issues defiant statement after being left out of Morocco squad
  • Ziyech fell out with Morocco coach Vahid Halihodzic and was overlooked for the nation’s final squad for the AFCON
  • The former Ajax man recently spoke on the snub where he claimed he was “focused on his club” at the moment
  • He was instrumental in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg

Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech has sensationally claimed he “does not care” about being left out of the Morrocco squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech says he is not affected by the snub from Morocco coach. Photo by James Williamso.
Source: Getty Images

The winger fell out with Morocco coach Vahid Halihodzic and has not featured for his nation since July 2020 in a friendly against Burkina Faso.

The Morocco coach, a few months ago, accused Ziyech of faking an injury to avoid featuring in a friendly against Ghana in June.

Ziyech recently spoke with Bein Sports where he issued a defiant response when asked about his omission from the squad.

“I’m doing my job and trying to perform as best as I can,” he said.
“All the other stuff that’s going around outside of football it is not really important at the moment.
“At this point I don’t really care to be honest.”

The fact that the former Ajax man is available for his club will be a huge boost for Chelsea, especially at a time when Premier League sides will have to cope without some of their African stars.

On Wednesday, he produced a man of the match performance in the Carabao Cup semi final first leg clash against Tottenham, where Chelsea convincingly won 2-0.

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku also returned to the side for the first time since he was axed for an explosive interview he did in December 2021.

Meanwhile, Morocco begin their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a clash against Ghana on January 10.

They will then face Comoros on January 14 before their final group game against Gabon four days later.

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Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.