RABAT (Reuters) – Adel Taarabt has be en recalled to Morocco’s squad three months after he walked out on the team and vowed never to play international football again.
The French-born Queen’s Park Rangers midfielder is part of a 24-man squad named by coach Eric Gerets for the decisive African Nations Cup qualifier against Tanzania in Marrakesh next Saturday.
Taarabt, whose reputation for histrionics often matches his individualistic skills, walked out on the team after being named as a substitute for June’s qualifier in Marrakesh when Morocco beat neighbours Algeria 4-0.
At the time he said he ever never wanted to play international football again, “with or without Eric Gerets”.
But the Belgian-born coach says Taarabt should be given a second chance.
“I do not want to kill off the international career of a 22-year-old. When I was young,I also made mistakes,” Gerets told the magazine ‘France Football’.
Taarabt had apologised for storming out of the camp just days after the incident, but was still left out for two subsequent internationals before this recall.
Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh returns after serving a one-match suspension in the Nations Cup preliminaries for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Squad:
Goalkeepers – Issam Badda (FUS Rabat), Nadir Lamyaghri (Wydad Casablanca), Ahmed Mohamedina (Olympique Khouribga)
Defenders – Jamal Alioui (Al Kharytiyath, Qatar), Michael Chretien (Bursaspor, Turkey), Mehdi Benatia (Udinese, Italy), Badr El Kaddouri (Glasgow Celtic, Scotland), Ayoub El Khaliqi (Wydad Casablanca), Abdelhamid El Kaoutari (Montpellier, France), Mustapha Mrani (Maghreb Fes), Rachid Soulaimani (Raja Casablanca, Morocco)
Midfielders – Younes Belhanda (Montpellier), Mohamed Berrabeh (Wydad Casablanca), Mbark Boussoufa (Anzhi Makhachkala, Russia), Mohamed Chihani (Al Arabi, Qatar), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord Rotterdam, Netherlands), Said Fettah (Wydad Casablanca), Houcine Kharjah (Fiorentina, Italy), Oussama Saidi (SC Heerenveen, Netherlands), Adel Taarabt (Queen’s Park Rangers, England)
Forwards – Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal, Engalnd), Youssef El Arabi (Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia), Mounir El Hamdaoui (Ajax Amsterdam, Netherlands), Youssef Hadji (Stade Rennes, France).
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Johannesburg; editing by Timothy Collings)
