By Title: Another Setback for Morocco Ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics
In the lead-up to the football tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Moroccan national team has encountered another obstacle. Morocco’s Olympic team coach, Tarik Sektioui, finds himself compelled to make adjustments yet again due to club constraints.
Central defender Ayman El Wafi was initially on the roster but has since been replaced by Adil Tahif due to non-authorization from his club, FC Lugano.
According to Le360 Sport, the situation has been further complicated by Betis Sevilla’s recent decision. Although the Andalusian club has permitted their player to participate in the Olympics, they will not release Ez Abde until July 20, merely four days before Morocco’s first match against Argentina on July 24.
Ez Abde’s absence will impact the Moroccan team’s preparation as he has been scheduled to join Betis Sevilla’s pre-season training camp in Austria from July 10 to July 20. Consequently, the winger from Beni Melal will miss the pre-tournament preparation camp of the reigning U23 African champions and join his national team directly in France.
It’s a setback that the Atlas Lions could well have done without, particularly because the Olympics fall on non-FIFA dates, meaning clubs are not obligated to release their players.
Morocco, placed in Group B, has a challenging schedule ahead. Achraf Hakimi and his teammates will face Ukraine on July 27 at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, three days after their opener against Argentina in the same venue. They will then meet Iraq on July 30 at the Allianz Riviera in Nice for the third and final round of group-stage matches.
