Morocco’s Sabiri Undergoes Successful Knee Surgery, Eyes Africa Cup Return

Good news for the fans of Moroccan midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), his new club Al-Fayha announced that he will have to stay away from the pitches for at least two weeks to recover from a successful operation on his knee cartilage. According to the explanations of the Saudi club, the two-week period is intended for rest and recovery.

The 26-year-old player should therefore return just in time to join the Moroccan national team for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024 in Côte d’Ivoire. Good news for national coach Walid Regragui who really won’t be able to count on Azzedine Ounahi and the Moroccan goalkeeper due to injuries.

The 26-year-old player is one of the architects of the historic run of the Moroccan team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. A dual national - he holds both German and Moroccan nationality - he had definitively joined the Atlas Lions’ den in 2022. He had scored five goals in 32 appearances in Serie A. After a short stint at Fiorentina, Sabiri signed with Al-Fayha in September. The Saudi Pro League club signed the Moroccan attacking midfielder on loan for a season for an amount of $500,000, with an option to buy clause of 2.5 million euros at the end of the season.