2026 World Cup - France vs Morocco: the big surprise Ismael Saibari

09.07.26 FT World Cup

France

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Morocco

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Mohamed Ouahbi clearly tried to pull off a major bluff during the press conference in the night from Wednesday to Thursday. The focus was, notably, on Ismael Saibari.

When asked about Ismael Saibari's fitness, the Atlas Lions' head coach had announced that Morocco's top scorer at this World Cup would be ruled out of the clash against Les Bleus, saying he wouldn't recover in time. Saibari had suffered a thigh injury against Canada and hadn't trained since, staying indoors on the eve of the big game against France.

However, just over two hours before kick-off, Morocco's official social media accounts posted photos from the team's dressing room showing the squad's jerseys. Despite the earlier announcement that he would miss the match, Ismael Saibari's shirt was clearly displayed among the others—an unusual move that sparked plenty of speculation.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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