Issa Diop made his Moroccan debut just hours after denying Senegal permission to advance.
Published March 28, 2026
Amid the controversy surrounding Senegal being stripped of the African Cup of Nations title and Morocco declared winners, Issa Diop’s international debut turned out to be both a kind of irony and a public relations coup.
The Fulham defender, who was born in France and played for his country at under-21 level, had his application to change his nationality to Morocco approved by world football governing body FIFA on Thursday, and was immediately named in the starting XI for Friday night’s 1-1 draw against Ecuador in Madrid.
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Diop, the son of a Senegalese father and a Moroccan mother, had rejected offers from both countries to play for France.
The 29-year-old has said many times that he would like to play for Les Bleus, but after not receiving a call-up from France coach Didier Deschamps, he now has the opportunity to potentially play for Morocco at the World Cup.
After Friday’s game, Diop said: “I was very happy to play in a team with so many good players. I think I made a good choice.”
Coach Diop met with Morocco’s new coach, Mohamed Ouabi, and Moroccan federation president Fawzi Lekujar.
“They explained their vision to me and I was accepted with open arms by a cheerful group of players in a great atmosphere at the camp,” he said.
North African players have a track record of enthusiastically recruiting players they believe have ties to their country and can strengthen their national teams, but this is the first time they have won a tug-of-war with another African country over player loyalty.
Senegal has also made great use of the French diaspora, with 12 French-born players included in the 28-man national squad that won the Nations Cup in Morocco in January. Senegal this week formally appealed the decision by the Confederation of African Football’s appeals committee to strip them of their title. He was forfeited from the final in Rabat on 18 January after he left the pitch in protest of a crucial penalty being awarded to Morocco, but the matter was referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Tensions between the two countries continued on Friday, with Senegal holding a press conference in front of a banner reading “Champions of Africa” before Saturday’s friendly against Peru.
They will show off the Nations Cup trophy to their supporters before the match at the Stade de France.
