Real Madrid could veto Brahim's presence at Paris Olympics 2024
After achieving the best result in the history of all African teams in the most difficult competition to win and the most prestigious on a global level, Morocco are hoping to at least match the result obtained at the Qatar 2022 World Cup: the semi-finals.
The Alawi side will arrive in Paris after a 12-year hiatus since their last appearance at London 2012 to compete in the all-important Olympic Games.
Morocco, always in search of their first Olympic medal, will be competing in France in their first top-level football competition since the Qatar 2022 World Championship.
This will certainly be a good opportunity to see how things have changed since Nayef Agerd and his team became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup.
The groups for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are:
Morocco's opponents, who are already looking at Morocco with different eyes, are now even more wary, and Morocco's youth will have to live up to the nation's expectations and desires to get out of the group stage for the first time since 1972. Moreover, hosting the Olympic Games in France will have added significance for many members of the national team currently competing in French football.
Packed with future stars, the national team, known as the "Lions of Atlas", hopes that as many world-class players as possible will be able to appear at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Moroccan footballer Brahim Diaz will not feature at the Paris 2024 Olympics because Real Madrid have decided not to send him to the upcoming games.
Morocco are now in the top five african teams with the most appearances in the history of the Olympics behind great teams such as Nigeria and Egypt.
Spanish sports portal AS reported that Real Madrid linked the decision on Brahim and the Olympics to "a very intense summer with the European Cup and Copa America", suggesting that 18 of their squad players are currently participating in these tournaments.
AS reported that Brahim Díaz remains sympathetic despite being keen to play. However, the newspaper admits that Morocco will work to convince the club to allow the players to take part in the tournament, as other clubs, including Real Betis and Villarreal, have already done. "But Brahim will not insist. He accepts the club's decision and its reasons," AS added.
The race for the Olympics began thanks to the qualification obtained by their results in the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) which were confirmed after the victory over Mali where the Moroccan U-23 team won the right to participate in the next Games.
After the qualifying round, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) praised the performance of the Moroccan national team and said that Morocco's qualification for the Paris Olympics "is a testament to their perseverance and determination, and the team hopes to use this opportunity to prove themselves on the world stage of Olympic competition".
"We want Brahim to be there"
These were the words of Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation and the leader who has convinced the Real Madrid striker to play for Morocco, to Marca's editorial office on 21 March.
The decision, although it depends on Real Madrid, is not yet firm and from Morocco it is hoped that the club will allow the player who would be one of the best players of the national team to participate. With more than 26 goals during the season, Brahim has become the partner that every midfielder and striker wants to have.
The difference between having a player of Diaz's quality in your ranks and not having him can be crucial for the national team, so Morocco will do everything in their power to convince the reigning European Champions. The trump card? Brahim Diaz is not playing in either the European Championship or the Copa America.