Munir El Haddadi, an international player who plays as a forward in the Deportivo Alavès will not be part of the Atlas Lions. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) «withdrew the appeal it had filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (also known as the CAS, an international quasi-judicial body established to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration) to allow Munir El Haddadi to play with the Moroccan team,» says the Spanish news agency EFE. The Royal Moroccan Federation of Football request was «suppressed» so that «the CAS does not have to make a decision, so the case is closed», adds EFE quoting judicial sources. For the Moroccan federation, officials are not giving up. This decision does not mean they are «abandoning» Munir El Haddadi's case. The latter «did not follow the procedure he had to do», the press agency added. Playing previously at the Alavés club owned by FC Barcelona, the Spanish striker and son of Moroccan parents has represented La Roja, the Spanish national team, in an official match, which prevents him from representing another nation. Munir Haddadi, 22, has played several times with young teams in Spain, but only one time with La Roja. He had been summoned only two weeks after his debut with Barca's first team by Coach Vicente de Bosque. On the 8th of September, he played during the last 13 minutes of the match against Macedonia (5-1) in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. It is this match against Macedonia that the Moroccan federation wants to erase, modifying the regulations. Currently playing for Deportivo Alavés, Munir El Haddadi has asked to change his sports nationality via a letter sent to FIFA last June. For now, the Spanish federation does not support the approach.
