Hakim Ziyech was the notable absentee as Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic on Thursday named his squad for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon.
The Chelsea winger had a fallout with the coach earlier this year and was overlooked for the six World Cup qualifiers played between September and November, making his omission no shock although the Dutch-born Ziyech is seen as Morocco’s key player.
Halilhodzic also left out the Ajax Amsterdam full back Noussair Mazraoui, who he also accused in mid-year of feigning injury to get out of playing in a friendly, an accusation Mazraoui has since denied.
The veteran coach sprung a surprise by naming Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, who has broken into Barcelona’s team, and attacking midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, who has been one of the players key to Angers’ bright start to the Ligue 1 season in France. Both are uncapped.
Morocco, who will be one of the pre-tournament favourites, compete in Group C with Comoros Islands, Gabon and Ghana at the finals, which get underway on January 9.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Vozinha and the attacking trio of Djaniny, Ryan Mendes and Julio Tavares were all selected again by the Cape Verde Islands in their Africa Cup of Nations squad.
The quartet competed for the Cape Verde at their two previous tournament appearances in 2013 and 2015 and were included again when the squad for next month’s tournament in Cameroon was announced on Thursday.
Coach Bubista also named 37-year-old midfielder Marco Soares in his 26-man squad. He won his first cap in 2006 and played at the 2013 finals, when the Cape Verdians were shock quarter-finalists, but was overlooked for the 2015 edition.
Cape Verde have been drawn in Group A with hosts Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, who they play their first game against in Yaounde on January 9.