World Cup 2010

Mustapha Hadji: My Brother Refused To Be A Substitute Against Gabon

The Moroccan legend has revealed the reasons why Youssouf Hadji wasn’t even on the Atlas Lions bench during their hugely disappointing 3-1 loss to Gabon last weekend.

Oct 15, 2009 1:30:23 PM

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Youssouf Hadji (AS Nancy)

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Former Moroccan national team star Mustapha Hadji spoke to Mountakhab.net after taking part in the Atlas Lions’ unsuccessful trip to Gabon where he saw his country lose all hope of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup as well as putting their participation at the 2010 African Cup of Nations in serious jeopardy.

The former Aston Villa midfielder said that the group as a whole did not show enough desire in their qualifying campaign. He also revisited an unsettling incident involving his brother, Youssouf Hadji, which happened on the eve of the match and caused further rifts within an already disunited squad.

“During the week, the coach, Hassan Moumen, explained to Youssouf that he was one of the most important players in the squad and that he was counting on him a lot after having seen him play and score two goals with Nancy against Sochaux,” he began.

“But on Friday, on the eve of the match, he told him that he wouldn’t be a starter due to a tactical choice. Youssouf didn’t understand this. He’s not the type to create problems, everyone knows that, but this was the drop that made the vase overflow.”

“He took it like a betrayal. In those conditions he preferred to exclude himself from the group. He left and he watched the match from the stands with me on Saturday,” added the Ifrane native.

The Nancy star was not the only player who took exception to his coach’s selections as Jamal Allioui also made his disappointment known when he questioned why he was overlooked in favor of Chakib Benzoukane.

The two incidents have once again highlighted the divisions within the Atlas Lions dressing room as well as the poor man-management of the current technical staff as Moroccan football continues to plummet.

Rami Ayari, Goal.com

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