FIFA Approves Munir El Haddadi’s Switch to Morocco National Team

Munir El Haddadi and Vahid Halilhodzic were right to cling to this change of nationality desired by the Moroccan player. His dream is becoming a reality. The Lekjaa reform, which allows dual nationals to change their sports nationality under certain conditions, was adopted on Friday, September 18. But the Spanish-Moroccan player who wanted to play for Morocco with all his heart, was blocked by one criterion.

The current Sevilla FC striker played three matches with the Spanish U21 national team, as part of the Euro Hopes qualifiers in September 2016. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation had at the time seized the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) so that the dispute could be settled. The negative response from the CAS did not, however, dampen the player’s ardor.

On January 28, FIFA published a circular explaining the procedure and the entry into force of this reform. The world body has issued a commentary on the regulations governing eligibility to play for a representative team. "The September 2020 reform took into account several situations deemed excessively severe or rigorous that have been pointed out by member associations or revealed by practice, and has codified the jurisprudence of the Players’ Status Commission. Four new exceptions allowing a change of association have been added," explains FIFA about the Lekjaa reform.

This reform, in its article 9, paragraph 2 c), stipulates that the change of sports nationality is granted to any player who already held the nationality of the association he wishes to represent before playing for his current association in an official competition, at any level and in any football discipline; who was not yet 21 years old at the time of his last match in an official competition with his current association, in any football discipline or who has not played more than three matches (in an official or unofficial competition) for his current association at the "A" international level, in any football discipline. Any dual national player who has not played for his current association for at least three years since the last time he did so, in an official or unofficial "A" international competition and in any football discipline, is also eligible.

All these new provisions allow Munir El Haddadi to play with the Atlas Lions. He had his only cap with Spain in 2014. He was 19 years old.