Morocco have suffered a significant setback ahead of their highly anticipated FIFA World Cup quarter-final against France after influential midfielder Ismael Saibari was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed that the Bayern Munich star has not recovered in time for the blockbuster encounter, dealing a major blow to the Atlas Lions’ hopes of reaching another historic World Cup semi-final.
Saibari has been one of Morocco’s standout performers throughout the tournament, scoring in all three group-stage matches and calmly converting the decisive penalty in the shootout victory over the Netherlands. However, he sustained a hamstring injury during Morocco’s convincing 3-0 win over Canada in the Round of 16 and has failed to regain full fitness.
“Everyone is 100 percent fit except Saibari. This game comes too soon for him, but I hope he is not out for the rest of the competition,” Ouahbi said ahead of the quarter-final.
The coach stressed that his team remains fully focused on defeating France despite the absence of one of its key players. Morocco will also be seeking revenge for their 2-0 defeat to France in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, a tournament in which they became the first African and Arab nation to reach the last four.
Ouahbi dismissed suggestions that reaching the quarter-finals should already be considered enough, insisting his players are determined to make more history.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz expressed confidence that Morocco can challenge one of the tournament favourites, saying the squad believes it has what it takes to overcome France and secure a place in the semi-finals.
The clash promises to be one of the biggest matches of the tournament as Morocco look to keep Africa’s World Cup dream alive despite losing one of their brightest stars.
