Clash between Walid Regragui and Amine Harit?

Why did Walid Regragui exclude Amine Harit? "There were tensions during the CAN, especially over his playing time. This created a slight rift..." revealed journalist Hakim Zhouri. He will add: "and with the choice Regragui has at this level, it’s quite easy to do without him." The Olympique de Marseille midfielder played only a minor role (3 substitute appearances) during the disappointing participation of the Moroccan team in the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN Côte d’Ivoire 2023). The adventure ended in the round of 16 for the Atlas Lions.

Since he has recovered from his injury - a sprained left knee ligaments sustained on November 13, 2022, during the Ligue 1 match Monaco-OM (2-3) -, Harit has struggled to shine. He also confided in his drop in form after his disappointing participation in the CAN. "Before leaving for the Africa Cup, I really felt good. But between the adaptation and the fact that I didn’t play much, I lost my rhythm. It’s not an excuse, but when I came back, I felt less fresh. I was less good in the last 4 or 5 games, but I felt better in these last two games. I knew it would take me time to regain the rhythm of last year, but the CAN really slowed me down, I was doing well," he explained in a press conference.

In addition to Amine, the Atlas Lions captain Romain Saïss, Selim Amallah, Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, Yunis Abdelhamid, Ismaël Saibari, Noussair Mazraoui, and Sofiane Boufal, injured, were not called up by national coach Walid Regragui for the upcoming friendly matches against Angola and Mauritania scheduled for Friday, March 22 and Tuesday, March 26 at the Grand Stade d’Agadir.