Sometimes, titles or historical achievements can become a powerful curse for their bearers, both individually and collectively, which is the case with the Moroccan national team. The Atlas Lions made history during the 2022 World Cup by finishing in fourth place, becoming the first Arab and African team to achieve such a feat in the tournament. This achievement is credited to a fantastic group of players under the guidance of the young coach Walid Regragui, who undoubtedly captured the world's attention.
The Moroccan team surprised the world with a remarkable performance in the Qatar World Cup, starting with a goalless draw against Croatia, followed by a 2-0 victory over Belgium and a 2-1 win against Canada, topping their group. They had a fiery encounter with Spain, managed by Luis Enrique, and the Moroccan team won in a penalty shootout (3-0) after a marathon match that ended in a goalless draw. The Moroccan team continued their historic journey by defeating Portugal in the quarter-finals, 1-0, with a stunning header from Youssef En-Nesyri.
However, the Moroccan dream of reaching the final came to an end against France, losing 0-2, and they ultimately finished in fourth place after falling to Croatia (1-2). This achievement was widely covered by world media after overcoming major teams and honoring Arab football. Despite expectations of continued successes for Morocco in the future, the World Cup achievement acted as a significant curse for the team and its stars.
Moroccan stars were expected to move to big clubs following their historic World Cup performance, yet they did not achieve the anticipated success and faced many shocks during transfer periods. Hakim Ziyech endured extremely difficult times at Chelsea, remaining confined to the bench, which led him to move to the Turkish league, specifically Galatasaray, on loan in the summer of 2023, before being sold permanently, despite previous links to Paris Saint-Germain.
Youssef En-Nesyri has been repeatedly linked with playing for major clubs in the English and Italian leagues, but he left Sevilla after a successful run, joining Turkish side Fenerbahçe just a few days ago. Jawad Yamiq, one of Morocco's key defenders, was strongly favored to join top clubs in Europe but departed Valladolid in the summer of 2023 for Al-Wehda in Saudi Arabia.
Although Sofyan Amrabat joined Manchester United on loan from Fiorentina in the summer of 2023, he did not meet expectations and faced several criticisms, making the permanent purchase of his contract doubtful. Abd al-Hamid Sabiri had various experiences, moving from Sampdoria to Fiorentina before being loaned to Al-Faheya in Saudi Arabia last summer.
Sofyan Boufal, the left winger of the Atlas Lions, decided to leave Angers in January 2023 and join Al-Rayyan in Qatar, despite links to several major clubs. The same goes for Romain Saïss, who left Wolverhampton to join Beşiktaş in Turkey, then moved to Al-Sadd in Qatar, before being loaned to Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia. Veteran goalkeeper Yassine Bounou departed Sevilla in the summer of 2023 to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, achieving numerous accomplishments, yet some expected him to remain in Europe.
Beyond the shocks experienced by Moroccan stars, the Atlas Lions failed to win the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 in Côte d'Ivoire. The Moroccan team was a strong contender for the title following their impressive performance in the Qatar World Cup, but they exited the competition against South Africa, losing 0-2 in the round of 16. Following this, the Moroccan Football Federation, head coach Walid Regragui, and the players faced severe and ongoing criticism from the press and media after their disappointing appearance in the tournament.
**Hamdallah's Dismissal**
Abderrazak Hamdallah was one of the Moroccan stars who participated in the World Cup achievement, even though he did not have an active role. However, he followed in his teammates' footsteps by experiencing a shocking exit from Al-Ittihad. Hamdallah was a key figure in Al-Ittihad winning the league and the domestic Super Cup in the 2022-2023 season and winning the golden boot of the Roshen League. However, it seems that this prominence was not enough for him to stay, as he was released just a few days ago.
In the past season, Hamdallah succeeded in stealing the spotlight and outperforming his teammate Karim Benzema, becoming the team's top scorer with 30 goals, but this brilliance did not save him. The reason for Hamdallah's shocking departure from Al-Ittihad was Benzema's desire to play solely in the striker position after the Moroccan star's dominance over him, leading Hamdallah to join Al-Shabab, according to some media reports.
