Good news for the Moroccan national team before the two matches against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the World Cup qualifiers

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to cancel the penalty of banning Moroccan national team players Sofiane Boufal and Sofiane Chakla for two matches, after an appeal was submitted by the Moroccan Federation, the latter announced today.

"The Appeal Committee of the Confederation of African Football decided to cancel the penalty for suspending the two Moroccan internationals, Sofiane Boufal and Sofiane Chakla," the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (the Football Association) said in a statement.

The two players will be at the disposal of the Bosnian Atlas Lions coach Vahid Halilhodzic in the two matches of the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The first leg will take place on March 25 in Kinshasa, and the second leg on March 29 in Casablanca, according to the Moroccan Football Association.

The African Confederation had issued a two-match ban against striker Boufal and defender Chakala, following riots that followed the match between Morocco and Egypt in the quarter-finals of the African Nations Cup in Cameroon at the end of January, which ended with the Atlas Lions exiting the tournament with their 1-2 defeat after the extension in A match in which Boufal scored the goal of the lead from a penalty kick.

Halilhodzic leads the Atlas Lions in the two play-off matches crucial to qualifying for the World Cup under pressure, as he faced great criticism after being eliminated from the African Cup quarter-finals.

And he had previously announced his willingness to leave if he failed to qualify with the Moroccan national team for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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