After his agent's admission: a legal expert reveals to Koora whether Morocco's star is entitled to represent Egypt's national team
Bentaiek's agent admitted the player was considering changing his sporting nationality, but can he actually achieve it?
The agent of Mahmoud Bentaieb, the Zamalek and Morocco national team defender, has admitted that the player is considering changing his sporting nationality to represent the Egyptian national team in international competitions, but does he have the legal right to do so at this time?
Bentaieb's name has sparked controversy over the past few days after Egyptian press reports emerged claiming he wished to play for Egypt instead of Morocco.
Moroccan reports denied that Bentaieb was considering the matter, yet Youssef Massaad, the player's agent, came out to confirm the opposite.
Massaad said, in statements to the Moroccan newspaper "Al-Omk", that Mohamed Ouahbi, the Morocco national team coach, had surprised him by overlooking Bentaieb, with the latest squad leaving out the Zamalek player's name.
He pointed out that some officials in Egypt had suggested Bentaieb represent the Egyptian national team, and that the player is studying the move, after his priority had been to play for his home country, Morocco.
According to press reports, Bentaieb has begun to make moves. He has tried to enquire with world football's governing body, FIFA, about the possibility of changing his sporting nationality, and is awaiting a response.
A legal expert explains the conditions
Lebanese legal expert Ralph Charbel explained, in statements to Kooora, that FIFA sets conditions before approving a change of allegiance for any player at international level.
He said that to feature with a national team other than that of his own country, and having never played in any of its age categories, a player must obtain the nationality of the new national team and meet one of the following conditions:
- That the player was born in the country concerned.
- That his father or mother was born in the country concerned.
- That his grandfather or grandmother was born in the country concerned.
- That he has lived on the soil of the country concerned for a period of not less than 3 years for players who began living there before reaching the age of ten, and for a period of not less than five years for players who began living there after reaching the age of ten.
Bentaieb's situation complicates matters. He was born in Casablanca to a Moroccan father and mother, and is currently married to an Egyptian woman, the daughter of Ahmed Suleiman, a member of the Zamalek board of directors.
The 26-year-old has been living in Egypt since his move to Zamalek from France's Saint-Étienne in the summer of 2024, that is, for about two years.
The Arab Cup: a new obstacle
Charbel added that "even if the previous conditions are met in Bentaieb's case, in order for him to be allowed to play with the Egyptian national team, he must also not have featured with the Morocco senior national team in more than three matches, and at least three years must have passed since the player's last match with Morocco".
Bentaieb did not represent Morocco at youth or junior level. He did, however, play with the senior national team at the 2025 Arab Cup, held in Qatar last year.
The defender featured in 4 international matches in the Morocco shirt during the tournament, all of them as a substitute, against Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE and Jordan. His team won on each occasion.
He had sat as a substitute in the first two matches against Comoros and Oman, which ended in draws.
Bentaieb contributed to Morocco's crowning as Arab Cup champions, under the leadership of coach Tarik Sektioui, who currently coaches the Oman national team.
Charbel pointed out that FIFA has recognised the Arab Cup as an official tournament under its umbrella since 2021, which gives an official character to Bentaieb's participation, even if Morocco contested the tournament with second-string players, away from the professionals in Europe.
According to the facts, the international lawyer explained, it would be difficult for Bentaieb to change his sporting nationality at the present time.
Even so, he stressed that "he cannot be certain that FIFA will reject Bentaieb's request, because he is not fully aware of the legal grounds the player might present".
