Amrabat breaks his silence: fiery response to Mohamed Ouahbi's statements

A surprise in the story of his absence from Morocco

Sofyan Amrabat has broken his silence. The Morocco international and Ajax Amsterdam midfielder has hit back at Mohamed Ouahbi, head coach of the senior national team, over the reasons behind his current unavailability, insisting his stance has nothing to do with playing time or the number of minutes he receives.

Speaking to "ESPN", Amrabat said tying his position to frustration over minutes misses the reality of the situation, and admitted he was surprised by Ouahbi's take on it.

Ouahbi had linked the player's decision to step away from the national team to his dissatisfaction with how much game time he was getting.

That reading, Amrabat says, is wrong. Starting or the number of minutes played had no bearing on his position, and it was never the motive behind his decision.

Representing Morocco, he explained, does not hinge on the nature of his involvement or the length of time he spends on the pitch.

Amrabat said: "I did not expect that. The matter is a little strange," stressing that throughout his career he has never demanded a starting place, whether with the clubs he has played for or with the national team, and that he has never made this a condition for representing any team.

Wearing his country's shirt, the Ajax midfielder added, is the greatest honour a player can receive, a source of immense pride no matter how long he stays on the pitch.

Ninety minutes, 20, 10 or none at all: the value of playing for Morocco is not measured in minutes, Amrabat affirmed. His current position, he pointed out, is completely separate from any question of starting or game time.