A 29-man list, and one name that wasn’t on it
Mohamed Ouahbi had barely finished reading out his squad for the international break before the question arrived.
Sofyan Amrabat had gone on social media to say he would not play for the Atlas Lions again while Ouahbi was in charge. Thursday’s press conference was always going to turn into that conversation.
The coach did not swing back. He opened with credit. “He has given a lot to the national team, he is part of recent history. We should not forget that or take it away from him.”
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“Your past earns respect, not privilege”
Then the line.
“In football, your past earns respect, not privilege. My guiding principle is meritocracy. He has not played as much as he would like, and that has to be accepted. The door is not closed, and nobody is guaranteed a place.”
Strip out the diplomacy and this is an argument about minutes. Amrabat’s have fallen off a cliff since Ouahbi arrived, because the coach keeps handing them to younger players instead. The midfielder, who left Fiorentina for Ajax this summer, has not swallowed the demotion quietly.
Ouahbi says he gets it. “I understand his frustration. It is not easy to have a status and then lose minutes because younger players are coming through. You play less than you want to. He has to accept that, and there is no conflict between him and me or the staff.”
Now it is Amrabat’s move
Officially, nothing is broken.
The offer on the table is narrow: come back, compete, no promises. Whether that is enough for a player who spent years as a fixture in this side is a question only he can answer, and he has not answered it yet.
The 29 names Ouahbi did read out featured several new faces and a handful of recalls. Morocco play on regardless.
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