The choice of promising football star Amine Jamal to defend the colors of the Spanish national team, rather than Morocco in the upcoming sporting events, has sparked mixed reactions on social media platforms.
The decision was a great disappointment for Moroccans, who hoped that the player would join the ranks of the first team, especially after a video clip broadcast by the program "Shabakat" - in its episode on (9/5/2023) - in which the young man appeared very happy after Morocco ousted Spain in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, as he was wearing the "Atlas Lions" shirt and kissing his logo.
The competition between Morocco and Spain for the services of the 16-year-old Jamal came after the player's brilliance with Barcelona in the first rounds of the Spanish league, and some went to compare him to the Argentine stars Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, in light of his great technical skills that predict a promising football future.
After announcing the representation of La Foria La Roja, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente rushed to call Jamal to the squad to face Georgia and Cyprus in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
La Fuente commented on the video in which Jamal appeared happy with Morocco's victory over Spain in the World Cup in Qatar, saying during a press conference that the sports department of the Spanish Federation was the one who convinced him to wear the shirt, although the task was difficult.
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On virtual networks, reactions were mixed, with sadness evident for Selim, who said that Jamal "is an excellent player who could have achieved what he wanted with the Atlas Lions, but it saddened me that he turned his back on his homeland."
While acknowledging that competition for rare talent is normal, Mohammed rejected what he called "putting pressure on the player and his family" as "unacceptable".
In turn, Karam considered the promotion of "the conspiracy theory and forcing Spain to represent the player illogical" and attributed this to the fact that "he is not arrested or kidnapped, he is a Spanish citizen and his rights are guaranteed, and he chose Spain and Europe." He was echoed by Rashid, who called on tweeters to be realistic away from emotional, because Spain are "favourites to win the World Cup".
On the other hand, others – including Abdelkader – hinted that Jamal made the wrong decision, and will regret as many players forgotten by history because they chose other teams, and added, "Jamal Malloush Aman where is patriotism where belonging?".
It is noteworthy that the coach of the Moroccan national team, Walid Regraki, was wishing himself to join the ranks of the "Atlas Lions", but stressed that it is not possible to force a player to join the team, especially since he was born in Spain and plays with its junior team.
Jamal settled the controversy on social media platforms and said he was always clear about playing for Spain to win the European Championship and the World Cup.