LONDON: Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech has revealed that he has no plans to return to the Morocco national team after a fallout with head coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
The winger was excluded from Morocco's AFCON squad and, after their elimination, Halilhodzic insisted that Ziyech would not be welcomed back into the national team. The Chelsea star has now stated that he will not return to play for his country.
"I understand them, but I will not return to the Moroccan national team and this is my final decision," Ziyech told ADSportsTV, as per goal.com.
"It's all clear for me how things are going over there and I am focusing on what I am doing and, right now, that is my club. At the end of the day, it's a decision he makes and you have to respect it. All the lying that comes with it, it's, for me, clear and I will not return to the national team."
"I understand and feel sorry for [the fans], but that's the situation we're in," he added.
The last time Ziyech played for Morocco was last June in a friendly against Burkina Faso, with that match being the starting point of his feud with the national team's coach. After the Burkina Faso friendly, Halilhodzic accused Ziyech of 'arriving late' and 'refusing to work'. Halilhodzic doubled down on that assessment last week, saying Ziyech's behaviour on national team duty "does not fit the selection".
Ziyech, who has earned 40 caps while scoring 17 goals, has featured 25 times for Chelsea this season, scoring six times.