Moroccan Hakim Ziyech cuts ties with his country permanently: My focus is with Chelsea

Moroccan striker Hakim Ziyech said he will devote all his energy to his English team, Chelsea, and will not play for his country again.

The 28-year-old was left out of the Moroccan national team squad for the last African Nations Cup by coach Vahid Halilhodzic, who criticized the winger for lack of discipline, according to Agence France-Presse.

Ziyech is currently in the Emirates with Chelsea, starting his first match in the Club World Cup, and he told the "Abu Dhabi" sports channel that he will not return to the national team, adding: "My decision is clear and final and I will focus on my team."

Halilhodzic justified his choice after Morocco's exit from the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations, by saying: "I cannot call a player who can destroy the group even if he is Lionel Messi."

He added that France won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018 after "marginalizing its best players", concluding: "I am not the first coach to resort to this."

Morocco will play a playoff round of two matches, one at home and one away, against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in March, hoping to be among the five African teams that will qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

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