Morocco’s New Coach Halilhodzic Names 46-Player Squad for First Training Camp

Now in charge of providing technical supervision for the Moroccan national football team, Halilhodzic is not wasting any time. He announced his colors by unveiling his first list of players on Friday, August 16, 2019. The group of 46 players includes 16 elements from the local championship, all summoned for a 10-day preparation camp. This session will also serve as a meeting for getting to know his protégés, since his appointment.

To design this list, the new coach did not look far. It retains the main backbone of the Moroccan collective, under the command of the former coach, Hervé Renard, with the veterans of the selection playing in the Gulf championships, the young talents of the European leagues (including Touaizi and El Idrissi) and also a good number of players from the local championship. On this list, Halilhodzic called up Azarou, Bencharki, Harit and Carcela. The surprise this list also holds is the call-up of the former Al Shabab player in Saudi Arabia, M’barek Boussoufa. The latter had nevertheless announced his international retirement, after the 2019 CAN.

This preparatory training camp, initiated by Morocco, as part of two friendly matches, will take place from September 1 to 10, 2019. The two matches will pit the Atlas Lions, on September 6, against Burkina Faso and, on September 10, against Niger, on the pitch of the Grand Stade de Marrakech.

List of called up players:

Yacine Bouno (Girona - Spain)
Munir Mohamedi (Malaga - Spain)
Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti (WAC)
Anas Zniti (RCA)
Nabil Dirar (Fenerbahçe - Turkey)
Omar Boutayeb (RCA)
Mohamed Nahiri (WAC)
Fouad Chafik (Dijon - France)
Issam Chebak (Malatyaspor - Turkey)
El Mehdi Benatia (Duhail - Qatar)
Badr Banoune (RCA)
Jawad Yamiq (Genoa - Italy)
Marouan Da Costa (Al-Ittihad - Saudi Arabia)
Ghanem Saiss (Wolverhampton - England)
Younes Abdelhamid (Stade de Reims - France)
Zouhir Feddal (Real Betis - Spain)
Nayef Akrad (Dijon - France)
Saad Lagrou (OCK), Abdelkarim Baadi (HUSA)
Walid El Hajjam (Troyes - France)
Karim El Ahmadi (Al-Ittihad - Saudi Arabia)
Youssef Ait Bennacer (Monaco - France)
Soufian Amrabat (Club Brugges - Belgium)
Yahya Jabrane (WAC)
Mehdi Bourabiaa (Sassuolo - Italy)
Anouar Touhami (Valladolid - Spain)
Fayçal Fajr (Getafe - Spain)
Walid El Karti (WAC)
El Mahdi Oubila (HUSA)
M’barek Boussoufa (unattached)
Younes Belhanda (Galatasaray - Turkey)
Hakim Ziyech (Ajax -Netherlands)
Achraf Bencharki (Zamalek - Egypt)
Noureddine Amrabat (Annasr - Saudi Arabia)
Adel Taarabt (Benefica - Portugal)
Oussama El Idrissi (AZ Alkmaar - Netherlands)
Walid Azaro (Al-Ahly - Egypt)
Rachid Allioui (Angers - France)
Ayoub El Kaabi (WAC)
Nabil Zoubdi Touaizi (Manchester City - England)
Khalid Boutayab (Zamalek - Egypt)
Amine Harit (Schalke 04 - Germany)
El Mahdi Carcela (Standard de Liège - Belgium)
Soufiane Boufal (Southampton - England)
Ismail El Haddad (WAC)
Mohammed Ihattaren (PSV Eindhoven - Netherlands).