The Royal Moroccan Football Federation ignored an official request from the Spanish club Real Madrid concerning the condition of the international star Brahim Díaz. The royal club had asked for Díaz to return to Spain to continue his treatment for the injury he is suffering from, especially after confirming the difficulty of his participation in the upcoming match against Lesotho, in the second round of qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
These developments come in the context of the Moroccan national team’s camp in South Africa, where the technical staff of the “Atlas Lions,” led by national coach Mohamed Wahbi, in consultation with French doctor Christopher Dolot and federation officials, preferred to keep Díaz within the national elite squad. This step reflects the technical team’s desire to closely monitor the player’s condition, despite Real Madrid’s concerns regarding Brahim Díaz’s injury and his treatment future.
Despite the injury, Díaz participated in the Moroccan national team’s training session yesterday, Wednesday, in preparation for the match against Lesotho. In a related development, national coach Mohamed Wahbi called up player Ilyas Akhomach to replace Díaz’s forced absence. Akhomach participated as a substitute in the match against Gabon on Friday evening, within the first round of the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations.
It is worth mentioning that the Moroccan team began its campaign in the qualifiers with a valuable 2-0 victory over Gabon in the match held at Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat. The goals for the “Atlas Lions” were scored by Noussair Mazraoui, Manchester United defender, and Sofiane Rahimi, Al Ain UAE striker, reflecting the strength and effectiveness of the Moroccan line-up despite the talk about Brahim Díaz’s injury. Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya will host the Africa Cup of Nations finals in June and July 2027.
