Amrabat quits Morocco ahead of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Amrabat quits Morocco ahead of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Skip to content Menu Home | Amrabat quits Morocco ahead of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Morocco's Sofyan Amrabat during the warm up before a match.

What happened

Image Credits : REUTERS/Peter Cziborra Reuters 8 September 2026, 19:49 [SAST] Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has made himself unavailable for Morocco ahead of the start of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month, saying he will not play under current coach Mohamed Ouahbi but has not retired from international football. I want to be clear: I am not retiring from international football, and I am not closing the door on representing Morocco again. ” Dutch-born Amrabat, who recently signed for Ajax Amsterdam, was a key member of the Morocco side that reached the 2022 World Cup semi-finals under former coach Walid Regragui, who Ouahbi replaced in March this year.

Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat would not reveal his reasons for the decisio. Amrabat would not reveal his reasons for the decision but had limited game time at the recent World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, where he started one of his side’s six games as they lost to France in the quarter-finals. “This has been a very difficult decision, but I do not feel able to continue representing the national team under the current head coach,” Amrabat said in an Instagram post.

The 30-year-old said he would remain the team’s “biggest fan” as they begin their journey to the Cup of Nations which will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania next June and July. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Letsile Tebogo helped Botswana to 4x400m gold at the World Relays on home soil in Gaborone in MayByCelestine KaroneyBBC Sport AfricaPublished3 September 2026Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo will return to Budapest for the Ultimate Championships next week, but the Hungarian capital is more than just another stop on the athletics calendar for the Botswana sprinter.

The wider picture

He also became the first African man to win a World Championship medal in the 100m. Seratiwa told BBC Sport Africa at the time that she was "proud" of what her son had achieved. "African athletes need support and protection – KebinatshipiPublished29 AprilBotswana welcomes Tebogo home with stadium spectacularPublished13 August 2024Teaching 'unwavering sportsmanship'Image source, ReutersImage caption, Three years ago Tebogo became the first African to make the podium in the 100m at the World Athletics ChampionshipsThose memories now sit alongside everything that has happened since for Tebogo.

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Published26 December 2025Go to BBCAfrica. com, external for more news from the African continent. The emergence of Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi has limited his game time. “I am therefore making myself unavailable for selection while he remains in charge.

What has been reported

Out of respect for the national team and everyone involved, I prefer to keep the reasons behind this decision private. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. It is the city where the 23-year-old announced himself to the world and where his mother Seratiwa watched him make history for his country by claiming two medals at the 2023 World Championships. This time Seratiwa will not be cheering on her son from the stands, having passed away in May 2024 after a short illness.

Having shared a close relationship with his mother – one she described as being more like a "brother and sister bond" – Tebogo admits that returning without her is difficult. "I haven't really looked into the fact that I'm going now to Budapest without my mom," he said. "It's just been a bumpy ride having to think about it and having to continue with the grind. "Three years ago, Seratiwa surprised her son by travelling to Budapest to watch the then 20-year-old compete in his first senior global championships.

What happens next

Tebogo won silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m – the first World Championship medals claimed by a male athlete from Botswana. For all the memories the city holds, Tebogo says there is also a source of strength in returning to the place where his mother witnessed one of the defining moments of his career. "I believe she's always there with me in spirit and in days where giving up is an option," he said.

"She pushes me to give my absolute best and I believe the memories that we had in Budapest, they will still come again. A year on from his success at the 2023 World Championships, Tebogo scaled greater heights by becoming Botswana's first Olympic champion when he won the 200m at the Paris 2024 Games, carrying his mother's initials on both his shoes and fingernails as a tribute. He returns to Budapest as one of the faces of a new competition created to bring together the sport's best performers.

The Ultimate Championships is a biennial global event designed to crown the best of the best in a track and field season.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across sabcnews.com, bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.