FIFA refuses El Haddadi’s request to change his allegiance in football from Spain to Morocco

FIFA has refused the request submitted by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, allowing Moroccan-Spanish footballer Munir El Haddadi to join the Morocco national team, reports Esto on Thursday, quoting local media outlets.

Football’s governing body has sent a letter to the Moroccan federation informing them that El Haddadi won’t be able to play with the Moroccan team during the next World Cup competition in Russia.

Playing previously at the Alavés club owned by FC Barcelona, the Spanish striker and son of Moroccan parents has represented La Roja, the Spanish national team, in an official match, which prevents him from representing another nation.

Munir Haddadi, 22, has played several times with young teams in Spain, but only one time with La Roja. He had been summoned only two weeks after his debut with Barca’s first team by Coach Vicente de Bosque. On the 8th of September, he played during the last 13 minutes of the match against Macedonia (5-1) in the Euro 2016 qualifiers.

In November, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation has called the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an international quasi-judicial body established to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration, to grant Munir El Haddadi a go-ahead to change his allegiance in international football from Spain to Morocco.