Moroccan star Hakim Ziyech responded to the coach of the national team, Vahid Halilhodzic, who criticized him yesterday, Wednesday, and accused him of misconduct and behaving in a manner unbecoming of a player for the Atlas Lions team.
Ziyech, 28, was suddenly excluded last week from the squad that Halilhodzic announced to face Sudan in Rabat on Thursday and Guinea next Monday in the ninth group of African qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the coach did not provide an explanation at the time.
But the Bosnian coach explained the decision to exclude Ziyech in a press conference yesterday, saying that the Chelsea player had bad behavior last June when he included him for two friendlies against Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Halilhodzic said, "His behavior in the last two matches - especially the last - was not that of an international player. He should be a positive role model as a captain in the team. He arrived late and then refused even to practice. There was no point in discussing it afterwards, because the answer is in front of me as a coach." For me, the national team is above everything, and no one can compromise on that.”
He added that Ziyech refused to play in the first match against Ghana, and claimed that he was injured, and said, "For the first time in my training career, I see behavior that disappoints me. The player refused to play a friendly match on the pretext that he was injured. The medical staff performed several tests and said that he could play. After that, he refused. He warmed up in the second half because he was disappointed to be a substitute."
"For me, this kind of behavior is unacceptable. You cannot cheat with the national team. You are 100% or you are not."
Ziyech responded to these accusations with a post on his Instagram account, in which he wrote, "Next time when you want to talk, tell the truth," and attached the comment to a clown's emoji, without mentioning the coach's name or providing further details.
The reaction of the former Ajax player raises questions about his future with the Moroccan national team, which is seeking to qualify for the World Cup for the sixth time.
This is not the first time that Ziyech has entered into a dispute with a coach.
Ziyech refused to play for the Moroccan national team after Herve Renard excluded him from the squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations due to his behavior as well.
He returned to the squad after an absence of nearly a year, after a clearing meeting with the coach in Amsterdam.
He was selected in the squad that participated in the 2018 World Cup.