Sofiane Amrabt refuses to play under the leadership of Wehbe with the Moroccan team

Moroccan international midfielder Sufian Amrabat announced, on Tuesday evening, September 8, 2026, via a story on his Instagram account, that he will not be available to represent the Moroccan team as long as Muhammad and Habbi remain at the head of the technical staff of"Lions of the Atlas". The player described the decision as “very difficult to Ayah", stressing that it is not related to an international retirement, but to a temporary cessation of calls under the current coach. What exactly did Amrabt say? "I do not feel able to continue to represent Morocco under the orders of the current coach," the Ajax Amsterdam player wrote in his post, adding that representing the national team remained "the greatest honor" in his long career since his first summons about 12 years ago. Amrabt did not reveal the exact reasons behind his decision, explaining that he prefers not to go into details “out of respect” for the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and the parties involved. He left the door open for a possible return to the ranks of "lions" if circumstances changed in the future. Why this decision matters Amrabt's announcement comes after a noticeable decline in his playing time with the team in the recent calls, in light of a fierce competition for the center of the field with young players who occupy an important place in the plan and my love, most notably Nayel Al-Ainawi, Ayoub Bouaadi and Ezzedine Onaghi. Amrabat is one of the pillars of the Moroccan team in recent years, and he played a prominent role in the historic "black" march at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, before moving this summer to Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam has a two-season contract. The decision puts the Moroccan Football Federation and coach Mohamed and Habbi before a sensitive test at a critical preparatory stage before future international entitlements, and opens a wide debate among Moroccan audiences about the relationship between the player and the technical staff.