Exclusive to Koora with video: Mustapha Hadji to Amrabat: No one is above Morocco. Who are you to demand Wahbi's departure?
Hajji sends fiery messages to the Atlas Lions star: play and keep quiet!
Mustapha Hadji has opened fire on Sofyan Amrabat. The Morocco legend waded into the Atlas Lions midfielder's recent row with coach Mohamed Ouahbi, insisting that carrying the Moroccan flag is "an honour for any player".
Back in September, Amrabat announced he was suspending his involvement and would not represent Morocco as long as Ouahbi remained in charge of the Atlas Lions' technical staff. He stressed, though, that he had not retired from international football.
Ouahbi hit back, claiming Amrabat's comments stemmed from his lack of game time with the national team. The coach argued he could not hand out more minutes to a player who wasn't featuring regularly for his club.
Hadji weighed in on the saga in a video interview with Kooora to be published later: "Amrabat plays for the Morocco national team, which represents the country and raises its flag, and he does not play for Mohamed Ouahbi, and therefore he must play under the leadership of any coach".
His message to Amrabat was blunt. "You represent the country, not the coach, so you must not demand a change of coach, whether it is Ouahbi or Regragui or any other coach".
"Representing Morocco is a great honour"
Amrabat later insisted his dispute with Ouahbi had nothing to do with a lack of minutes for the national team in the first place. The Ajax Amsterdam man got short shrift from Hadji, who stressed Morocco's interests must come before any personal grievance.
"Representing the Morocco national team is a great honour," Hadji explained. "To get the chance to raise the Moroccan flag from among 40 million Moroccans is a huge thing, and it must be above any problem".
The legend echoed Ouahbi's take on the crisis, agreeing that "your history earns you respect, but it does not grant you the privilege of staying in the starting line-up".
Hadji wasn't finished. "All respect to what Amrabat has offered with the national team, but that does not give him the right to say that a coach must leave in order for me to join the team".
Then came the sharpest line of all. "Who are you to say that? You are not above the national team or the coach or the Moroccan flag. You must come to the national team and play and keep quiet, even if you play for one minute, because it is an honour for you".
