One of Chelsea's star wingers has announced his retirement from international football after being left out of his country's 2021 Africa Cup of Nations squad.
Hakim Ziyech says he will not return to the Moroccan national team amid an ongoing war of words with head coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
The former Ajax Amsterdam man was excluded from the 28-man Morocco squad that took part in the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Following the Atlas Lions' elimination from the tournament, Halilhodzic said Ziyech would not be welcomed back into the side "even if his name was Lionel Messi".
The 28-year-old has now hit back at his Bosnian coach, accusing him of "lying" while insisting that he would not don his country's jersey ever again.
"I understand them, but I will not return to the Moroccan national team and this is my final decision," he expressed to ADSportsTV.
"It's all clear for me how things are going over there and I am focusing on what I am doing and, right now, that is my club.
"At the end of the day, it's a decision he makes and you have to respect it. All the lying that comes with it, it's, for me, clear and I will not return to the national team.
"I understand and feel sorry for [the fans], but that's the situation we're in."
The 2020/21 UEFA Champions League winner last played for Morocco in June 2021, in a friendly against Burkina Faso, after which Halilhodzic called Ziyech's professionalism into question.
The winger retires as the North Africans' sixth all-time leading goalscorer with 17 strikes in 40 appearances.
