All he has under his belt, by way of international football is a 15-minute cameo appearance for Spain, but those 15 minutes seem set to hurt him permanently. With the doors of the Red Fury all but shut against him, Munir El Haddadi’s only hope of making it to the football Mundial appeared to be through the country of his parents’ birth, Morocco. Now, even that is becoming a pipe dream.
Morocco’s Football Federation is taking football’s world governing body to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over last month’s ruling barring El Haddadi, officially recognized as ‘Spain forward’ from switching national allegiances.
The 22-year-old Spain forward was brought in as a substitute for Koke in Spain’s 2014 European Championship qualifier against Macedonia. That debut, which lasted just 15 minutes, has remained his only competitive appearance for the senior national side till date.
Under current FIFA regulations, which prohibit switching nationality after playing in a competitive match, his appearance in the game prevents El Haddadi from playing for Morocco’s national football team, the Atlas Lions, despite both his parents coming from Morocco.
CAS says El Haddadi and Morocco have asked for a decision by mid-May before World Cup squads are selected.
A hearing date has yet to be set.
Photo Credit: Diario AS
