Moroccan Federation Denies Betis Request for Ezzalzouli
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has shut the door on Real Betis’s bid to keep Abde Ezzalzouli out of the upcoming international window, making its stance crystal clear ahead of two key qualifiers.
According to Moroccan outlet "Le360 Sport", Betis had approached the federation with a request: allow Ezzalzouli to skip Mohamed Ouahbi’s latest call-up for the matches against Gabon and Lesotho. The Spanish club wanted their winger to remain in Seville, avoiding the long trip to South Africa, where the Atlas Lions will gather as they gear up to face Lesotho in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
The answer from Rabat was blunt. No.
What hardened that position was Ezzalzouli’s recent appearance for Betis against Villarreal. Once he stepped onto the pitch in La Liga, any argument about his fitness evaporated in the eyes of the Moroccan authorities. The federation views those minutes as proof: the player is healthy, available, and under no physical constraint that could justify missing national team duty.
From their perspective, if he can play for Betis, he can play for Morocco. Only a new and serious development in his condition over the coming days would change that equation.
Morocco face Gabon on 25 September and Lesotho on 29 September, both fixtures counting towards qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. These are not gentle friendlies or experimental run-outs. They are competitive markers in a longer journey, part of Ouahbi’s broader plan to shape a squad capable of sustaining Morocco’s recent rise on the continental and global stage.
The coach is set to name his final squad for the September camp next Thursday, with a 23-man list expected. That announcement will do more than settle the Ezzalzouli question. It will also clarify the futures of several players from Morocco’s last World Cup campaign, some of whom are at risk of being left out as the team evolves.
For now, all signs point in one direction. Ezzalzouli is a strong favourite to be on that list. The federation has rejected Betis’s attempt to hold him back, and his recent game time in Spain only strengthens the technical staff’s argument for bringing him in.
The message from Morocco is unmistakable: club interests stop at the national team door, and the battle for a place in Ouahbi’s new-look squad will be fought on the pitch, not in the boardroom.
