Taarabt Included In Morocco Squad
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Teenage Tottenham Hotspur prodigy Adel Taarabt has been included in Morocco’s squad for next month’s friendly against the Czech Republic in Casablanca, despite previously having turned down the country.
The 19-year-old signed by Spurs for 3,5-million Euros from French club Racing Lens 18 months ago, was born in France and has represented them at youth level.
He turned down an opportunity to feature for Morocco’s U23 side at the last Olympic games, but was named in an expanded 32-man squad for the friendly international on February 11.
The game is Morocco’s final warm-up before the final phase of the African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup finals begins in late March.
Taarabt would need FIFA permission to change his national status, which he is entitled to do before the age of 21 as long as he has not won a full international cap for France.
Morocco coach Roger Lemerre has again named Adil Rami of Lille, despite his previous refusal to play for Morocco.
There is also a first call-up for Dutch-born Brahim Zaari, the 19-year-old goalkeeper from FC Den Bosch.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Brahim Zaari (FC Den Bosch, Netherlands), Karim Zaza (Aalborg, Denmark).
Defenders: Mehdi Benatia (Clermont Foot, France), Mickael Chretien (Nancy, France), Youssef El Akchaoui (NEC Nijmegen, Netherlands), Chemcedine El Araichi (Excelsior Moeskroen, Belgium), Badr El Kaddouri (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine), Talal El Karkouri (Qatar SC, Qatar), Hassan El Mouataz (Lokeren, Belgium), El Armine Erbate (Al Wahda, United Arab Emirates), Adil Hermach (Racing Lens, France), Youssef Rabeh (Levski Sofia, Bulgaria), Adil Rami (Lille, France).
Midfielders: Yacine Abdessadki (SC Freiburg, Germany), Mbark Boussoufa (Anderlecht, Belgium), Kamel Chafni (Auxerre, France), Nabil Dirar (FC Brugge, Belgium), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord, Netherlands), Youssouf Hadji (Nancy, France), Abderrahman Kabous (Real Murcia, Spain), Houssine Kharja (Siena, Italy), Youssef Safri (Qatar SC, Qatar), Tarik Sektioui (FC Porto, Portugal), Marouane Zemmama (Al Shabab, United Arab Emirates).
Strikers: Hicham Aboucherouane (Al Ittihad Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), Nabil Baha (Malaga, Spain), Marouane Chamakh (Girondins Bordeaux, France), Bouchaib El Moubarki (Grenoble, France), Mounir El Hamdaoui (AZ’67 Alkmaar, Netherlands), Nabil El Zhar (Liverpool, England), Adel Taarabt (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Moncef Zerka (Nancy, France).
