Ziyech Remains with Morocco Squad Despite Substitution Anger, Prepares for Congo Match

Hakim Ziyech was present at the training session of the Atlas Lions on Sunday, in preparation for the match against the Republic of Congo Brazzaville, scheduled for Tuesday at the Grand Stade d’Agadir, starting at 8:00 pm. The images of the Moroccan team’s training sessions thus refute the rumors that the Galatasaray star has left the gathering of the Atlas Lions.

Substituted in the 64th minute of the match between Morocco and Zambia, which ended in a 2-1 victory for the Atlas Lions, Ziyech expressed his anger by throwing his cleats just after taking a seat on the bench. During the post-match press conference, Walid Regragui explained his decision to substitute Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri. "Hakim trained this week, he was slightly injured. That’s why I didn’t want to take any risks," he said. The coach of the Atlas Lions says he understands the attitude of these players.

"It’s good that the players are angry to be substituted. Hakim is a competitor. It’s me who makes the decisions, I want to preserve them. I have players on the bench who can also do the job. There won’t be any problems with Hakim, because he knows what I want and the same goes for Youssef. I can tell you that in Qatar, Boufal was substituted angry and he hit a post, etc. You didn’t say anything, did you?" he added.