Ayman El Wafi, a key Moroccan football player in the Atlas Lions’ squad announced in a story on his Instagram account on Tuesday that he will not participate in the Paris Olympics.
“I inform you that I will not be able to be present at the Olympics because of the decision I respect,” El Wafi wrote. “I want to tell my teammates to give it their all and make us dream…I will be your first fan, come on guys.”
Local media said that his Swiss team FC Lugano initially approved his participation, but later refused to release El Wafi for national team duty.
El Wafi, originally from Camaiore, Italy, was on vacation in Milan and planning to join the national team gathering in Rabat last weekend when his club notified him of their decision.
FC Lugano, the Swiss vice-champion and a contender in the Champions League, heavily relies on the 20-year-old central defender. El Wafi joins several other players, including Brahim Diaz and Ismael Saibari, who were also unable to secure release from their clubs (Real Madrid and PSV Eindhoven respectively) to participate in the French tournament.
In France, the national team will first face Argentina on July 24 at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne, followed by Ukraine on the 27 at the same stadium, and Iraq on July 30 at Allianz Riviera in Nice.