Yassine Tebaa Gourari, the young goalkeeper of Algerian origin from FC Metz, is said to have given his final approval to represent the Moroccan national team. A 20 year-old goalkeeper, born to an Algerian father and a Moroccan mother, decided in favor of Morocco, according to several Moroccan media.
Yassine Tebaa Gourari said ” I respects Algeria because my father is Algerian, but I decided to play for Morocco. I think that’s normal. Ismael Bennacer chose Algeria while his father is Moroccan and his mother Algerian, we must respect the choice of players,” he said.
According to the Moroccan media, officials of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation have done everything possible to convince Tebaa Gourari to join the Moroccan national team. He reportedly obtained his Moroccan passport last week. The young goalkeeper will soon be called up to the Under 21 squad before he can apply for a place in the team.
Regarding his decision to play for Morocco at the expense of his father’s country, the young FC Metz goalkeeper explains that he has never been called up by the Algerian Football Federation (FAF), unlike the officials of the Moroccan federation who were able to convince the player.
Yassine Tebaa Gourari mentions the example of AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer, who chose Algeria even though his father is Moroccan. “We have to respect the choice of players,” he stressed.
As a reminder, Ismaël Bennacer, born in France to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother, had the opportunity to play for one of the three nations for which he was eligible, in this case Algeria, Morocco and France. In the end, he chose Algeria. His choice paid off as he was crowned African champion with Les Fennecs and was voted best player at the 2019 CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
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