Head Coach for the Moroccan senior national team, Herve Renard has handed a late call-up to Abdelkarim Baadi to replace injured Abderrazak Hamdallah with just 8 days to the start of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
The gaffer for the side named his final 23-man squad 3 days ago declaring the readiness of his team ahead of the continental showdown set to take place in Egypt from next week.
Unfortunately for him, Abderrazak Hamdallah who is one of his key players has sustained an injury and he has been forced to be dropped for him to pursue treatment.
A statement from the Morocco Football Federation on Thursday explained that Hamdallah has a “back and hip injury and the medical staff have decided he cannot complete the training camp nor play at the Nations Cup”.
Herve Renard and his technical team has thus decided to bring on board defender Abdelkarim Baadi, who plays for Moroccan side Hassania Agadir.
The attacker’s exclusion from the team is being described as a big blow for the North Africans as he is regarded as one of the top players to make things happen for the team at the tournament.
He is coming from a fruitful season where he netted 34 times after making 30 appearances for his Saudi Arabian club, Al Nassr. His exploits helped the team to win the league and he had been tipped to carry Morocco on his shoulders.
He is set to undergo further screening on Friday to see the severity of his injury.