Brahim Diaz' dream of playing for Morocco at the upcoming AFCON tournament could be derailed by his club Real Madrid.
Los Blancos star Brahim Diaz could face a battle to represent his new country, Morocco, at the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast after it was revealed that Real Madrid were not in support of their new signing playing in the tournament.
Brahim Diaz makes Morocco switch
Diaz is a previous Spanish youth international who also played for La Roja's senior team once before deciding to switch allegiances to Morocco, where his father was born, after their performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where they eliminated Spain.
Diaz is yet to play for the Atlas Lions, but he has already made his intentions clear and has made the necessary adjustments with FIFA, although he could face challenges playing in his first tournament with Morocco due to Real Madrid's influence.
The 24-year-old attacking midfielder rejoined Real Madrid from AC Milan this summer, and Los Blancos are certain to count on him during a busy spell in January and February when the AFCON tournament will be in full swing.
Real Madrid looking to stop Diaz AFCON participation
Although Diaz has featured sparingly for Real Madrid since his summer move, that situation could change when Los Blancos become involved in the thick of three or four competitions in the January-February period, including LaLiga, the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League, as well as the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana.
According to a Moroccan official quoted by Spanish media outlet SPORT, Real Madrid will do anything to stop Diaz from participating in the 2023 AFCON and are "creating barriers" to ensure the former AC Milan man is available to them instead.
Moroccan World Cup hero Yassine "Bono" Bounou already stated that his possible participation in the AFCON tournament scuppered a move to Real Madrid in the summer, showing Los Blancos' scepticism of having players at the mid-season tournament, which is commonplace in European clubs.
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