The Norwegian Football Federation has announced that player Osame Sahraoui has chosen to devote the rest of his career to representing the Moroccan national team.
According to news outlets reports, Norwegian Coach Ståle Solbakken said that Sahraoui contacted him to inform him of his decision to play for Morocco.
Très déçu de ne pas voir Osame Sahraoui évoluer sous la bannière norvégienne, mais c'est son choix !🙏
Souhaitons-lui bonne chance pour la suite, en espérant le meilleur avec le Maroc !👏 https://t.co/ZPZ6x2kZAK
— Nordisk Norvège 🇳🇴 (@NordiskNorvege) August 30, 2024
“It’s not a club decision but a life choice. I know this has been difficult for Osame. It has been a great pleasure having him with us, and we wish him much success in the future,” Solbakken said.
In response, Sahraoui thanked the Norwegian Football Federation and the coach for the years he spent with the Norwegian national team.
“The past few days have been difficult, but after long discussions with my agent and family, we made the final decision to play for Morocco,” Sahraoui said
The player joined Lille from Dutch club Heerenveen during the recent summer transfer window and plays winger and attacking midfielder.
The 23-year-old forward, who currently plays for Ligue 1 club Lille, had previously appeared in an international match for the Norwegian national team.
Sahraoui was included by Norwegian head coach Solbakken in the call-up for upcoming matches against Kazakhstan and Austria but declined the request.
In August 2023, Sahraoui was called up for the first time to represent the Norwegian senior national team in a friendly match against Jordan. However, he did not appear in any further matches for the Norwegian national team due to an injury.