Ahead of the 2018 World Cup, Lekjaa led the FRMF in an appeal to have Munir El Haddadi switch allegiance to the north African country after featuring for Spain six years ago. El Haddadi was born in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a historical residence of the King of Spain, about 45 kilometres northwest of the Spanish capital, Madrid. Aged 15, El Haddadi was snapped up by Atletico Madrid after impressing on trial. After his arrival at La Masia, El Haddadi continued to impress and was given his chance to shine in the Uefa Youth League – the Under-19s version of the Champions League. El Haddadi’s La Roja debut was made at 19 and means he could still play for Morocco following Friday’s ruling.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 19, 2020 12:56 UTC