GENEVA: FIFA has rejected a request from the Moroccan soccer federation to let Munir El Haddadi change nationality from Spain despite easing its eligibility rules last month.
The decision can be challenged by Morocco and the player at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, soccer’s world governing body said Thursday.
Any appeal would be the second for Morocco and El Haddadi against FIFA at sport’s highest court. They lost a previous ruling weeks before the 2018 World Cup — a case that was a factor in FIFA revisiting its national eligibility rules for players.
Two years ago, FIFA’s rules bound El Haddadi to Spain because he had played a single competitive game for the senior national team. As a 19-year-old Barcelona player in 2014, he was a late substitute in a European Championship qualifying game.
FIFA’s member federations voted last month for relaxed rules to help players with multiple nationalities switch allegiance. El Haddadi was born in Spain and has Moroccan family ties.
The conditions include that: a player appeared no more than three times for a senior national team; none of those games was at a major tournament; at least three years have passed since playing for the senior national team; the player did not represent his first country after turning 21.
Morocco called up El Haddadi last week to play in two friendlies during the current international period, including against Senegal on Friday in Rabat.
The Sevilla forward’s appearance for Spain’s senior team is no longer a barrier to his intended switch.
However, there is an issue with his games for Spain’s Under-21 team in European qualifiers after he turned 21 in September 2016.
The new FIFA rule requires “at the time of being fielded for his last match in an official competition in any kind of football for his current association, he had not turned 21 years old.”
Since FIFA made its ruling last month, El Haddadi posted a clip on his Twitter account expressing thanks to Spain and looking toward the Morocco flag.
FIFA rejects Munir El Haddadi bid to switch to Morocco from Spain
https://arab.news/2erzf
FIFA rejects Munir El Haddadi bid to switch to Morocco from Spain
- Two years ago, FIFA’s rules bound El Haddadi to Spain because he had played a single competitive game for the senior national team
Real Madrid face Man City, PSG draw Chelsea in Champions League last 16
- This is the eighth season in which the teams have played each other since 2012
- Liverpool will have a last-16 rematch against Galatasaray
PARIS: Real Madrid and Manchester City will face off in a Champions League knockout tie for the fifth season running after being drawn Friday to play each other in the last 16, while reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain will take on Chelsea.
The Spanish giants, record 15-time European champions, will host City in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next month before traveling to England for the return the following week.
The clubs have already played each other this season, with Pep Guardiola’s City winning 2-1 in Madrid in December during the league phase, in which the Premier League club finished eighth and Real ninth.
That allowed City, Champions League winners in 2023, to advance straight to the last 16 while Madrid had to come through the knockout phase play-offs, in which they beat Benfica 3-1 on aggregate.
This is the eighth season in which the teams have played each other since 2012. Real beat City in the knockout phase play-offs last season, and in the quarterfinals on the way to winning the trophy in 2024. They also emerged victorious in the semifinals in 2022 with City winning at the same stage the following year.
PSG will be at home to Chelsea in the first leg after qualifying for this stage with a 5-4 aggregate win over Ligue 1 rivals Monaco in the play-offs. Chelsea progressed straight to the last 16 after finishing sixth in the league phase.
The sides played each other in the knockout stages in three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016, with Chelsea winning the first of those confrontations in the quarterfinals and PSG triumphing in the last 16 in the following two.
Their last encounter came in July’s Club World Cup final in the United States, when Chelsea won 3-0 against last season’s European champions.
“The draw is fascinating, as usual,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique. “It will be fascinating to play against one of the best English teams, who we know well, but it will not be about revenge. These are two different competitions.”
Chelsea have been coached since January by Liam Rosenior, who had previously come up against PSG in Ligue 1 as coach of Strasbourg.
- Arsenal face Leverkusen, Newcastle play Barcelona -
There is a record total of six English clubs in the last 16. None will play each other in the last 16 but there are two potential all-English quarterfinals.
Liverpool will have a last-16 rematch against Galatasaray, the Turkish giants having defeated the Anfield club 1-0 in September in the league phase.
The winner of that tie will play either PSG or Chelsea in the quarterfinals, meaning there is a chance Liverpool will get the opportunity to avenge their defeat by the Parisians on penalties a year ago.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United will take on Barcelona with the first leg at St. James’ Park — the Spanish side won 2-1 there during the league phase in September.
Barcelona’s only other possible opponents were holders PSG, but their coach Hansi Flick insisted: “We are not celebrating not getting PSG. We must respect our opponents. Everyone wants to reach the final and Newcastle will also be eager to win the Champions League.”
Tottenham Hotspur were drawn to play Atletico Madrid, with the winners of that tie then facing Newcastle or Barcelona in the last eight.
Arsenal, who finished first in the league phase, will come up against Bayer Leverkusen and if they win that would then be huge favorites in a quarter-final against Bodo/Glimt or Sporting of Portugal.
The last-16 meeting with Sporting is the Norwegian upstarts’ reward for knocking out last season’s beaten finalists Inter Milan in the play-offs.
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes described Arsenal as “perhaps the top favorite for the title in both the Champions League and the Premier League. Everything has to go right, but then we’re capable of making life difficult for them.”
German champions Bayern Munich will play Atalanta, the sole Italian club left in the competition.
The first legs will take place on March 10 and 11, with the second legs a week later. The teams who qualified directly for this stage after finishing in the top eight in the league phase will all be at home in the return matches.
This season’s Champions League final will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30.
