Morocco \u200chave won the international tug-of-war for highly rated Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who was born in France to Moroccan parents, after FIFA approved his switch of allegiance, handing the Atlas Lions a significant boost just weeks before the World Cup in North America. <\/p>\n
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation said on Friday it had received a decision from FIFA\u2019s Players\u2019 Status Chamber approving its request to \u200cchange the \u200csporting nationality of Bouaddi, making him \u200cimmediately \u2060eligible to represent \u2060Morocco in all international competitions. <\/p>\n
Bouaddi, 18, had represented France at youth level, most recently captaining the under-21 side in a European Championship qualifier against Luxembourg, but opted to commit his senior international future to Morocco. <\/p>\n
The midfielder is regarded \u2060as one of Ligue 1\u2019s brightest \u200cyoung talents, having established \u200chimself as a regular in Lille\u2019s lineup in recent \u200cseasons. <\/p>\n
He has made more than 90 appearances \u200cfor the club across all competitions over three campaigns. He was the youngest player to feature in a European club competition match, aged 16 years and \u200cthree days. <\/p>\n
Morocco have built a strong track record of recruiting dual-nationality players \u2060to strengthen \u2060their squad. They recently convinced Fulham defender Issa Diop, who was born in France to a Moroccan mother, to commit to the North African nation, as did Ajax Amsterdam\u2019s Rayane Bounida, a former Belgium under-19 captain. <\/p>\n
The World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. <\/p>\n
Morocco, the first African and Arab country to reach a World Cup semi-final, are drawn in Group C alongside Brazil, Haiti and Scotland. <\/p>\n