Hakim Ziyash, who left the Moroccan team owing to disagreements with former coach Waheed Khaliluzic, rejoins the team to make a fresh start under the leadership of Walid Al-Rakraki, who had little trouble persuading him to change his mind.
In preparation for the World Cup, Hakim Ziash said after rejoining the Moroccan national team and playing in two friendlies against Chile and Paraguay: “The important thing in such matches is to stand on our capabilities before the World Cup, especially with the presence of new coach and crew, as well as new ideas.”
The right winger, who made a 2020 transfer to Chelsea, continued, “I am really glad to return to the national team after some challenges with the crew and I am now ready.”
Former Moroccan coach Badou Zaki was the first to call Ziash when he was a star at Tofitti, his Dutch-born team, and then he resisted the push to play for the Netherlands. At the time, Marco van Bastin, the coach of the Netherlands, called this decision “naive.”
“Ziash shocked everyone after he was an important member of the Netherlands’ under-21 team for a number of years before he decided to play for Morocco, which prompted the legendary Van Basten to slam him harshly. However, fate wanted Ziash to help his new team advance to the 2018 World Cup while the Netherlands fell short.
Ziash recalled that when I chose Morocco over the Netherlands, they called me a “ending player,” claimed I would receive no benefit from them, and followed me around on booing bicycles.
He said, “The Netherlands team no longer means anything to me, and I am glad to wear the Moroccan shirt.” I went with my heart.
Before the crisis broke out with Khaliluzic, Ziash entered into a similar problem with former coach Herve Renard and excluded him from participating in the 2017 African Nations Cup, and the French coach said that Ziash was the fourth choice in his position.
As he headed to Amsterdam with Renard to meet Ziash and resolve the situation, Fawzi Lakjaa, the head of the Moroccan Union, intervened to put an end to the argument between the two groups.
A fresh start for Hakim Ziyash with the group that “chose his heart”
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