Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech had been involved in a war of words with Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
Ziyech returns for the Atlas Lions despite having announced his retirement from international football amid a dispute with former coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui called up Chelsea forward Hakim Ziyech and Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi for his World Cup squad on Thursday, less than two weeks before it kicks off against Croatia.
“We worked hard on this list with the staff, it’s the best possible line-up to defend our colours,” Regragui told journalists in Rabat.
He admitted that some players would be disappointed at being left out, but said the team wanted to do “something big”.
“We’re hoping that every Moroccan will be behind us and support us,” he said.
Ziyech, 29, returns for the Atlas Lions despite having announced his retirement from international football amid a dispute with former coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
Morocco World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla), Munir Mohamedi (Al Wehda), Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca)
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich), Nayef Aguerd (West Ham), Badr Benoun (Qatar SC), Romain Saiss (Besiktas), Yahya Attiyat Allah (Wydad Casablanca), Jawad El Yamiq (Valladolid), Achraf Dari (Brest)
Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria), Selim Amallah (Standard Liege), Azzedine Ounahi (Angers), Bilal El Khannouss (Genk), Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca)
Forwards: Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea), Amine Harit (Marseille), Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna), Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse), Sofiane Boufal (Angers), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), Walid Cheddira (Bari), Abderrazak Hamed Allah (Al-Ittihad)