Sofyan Amrabat steps back from Morocco squad

Sofyan Amrabat has told Morocco he will not play for the national side while Mohamed Ouahbi remains in charge.

"With this coach, I won't continue. I cannot represent the national team under this coach's management. Therefore, while he remains in that position, I am leaving the national team," Amrabat said.

"Out of Respect for the national team and everyone involved, I prefer to keep to myself the reasons behind this decision," he said. He was careful to add that the door is not closed: "I want to make clear this is not a definitive farewell to Morocco."

Amrabat, 30, has won 78 caps for Morocco without ever scoring, and was a fixture in the side that reached the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He has had a peripheral role since, coming on in three matches at the 2026 World Cup but starting only one, and playing a similar bit-part at this year's Africa Cup of Nations, where Morocco lost 2-0 to France in the quarter-finals.

Ouahbi took over as Morocco coach in March, replacing Walid Regragui. Amrabat's stand-off means he will sit out the start of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, against Gabon and Lesotho.

Amrabat left Fenerbahçe on a free transfer this summer and signed for Ajax until 2028; by all accounts a spell on loan at Real Betis in 2025-26 preceded that move, and he has scored once for the Spanish side since September. Whether his stand-off proves temporary may depend less on his own form than on how long Ouahbi keeps the job.