Morocco: "You see how far the hatred has gone", why Younès Belhanda still resents Walid Regragui

Al-Sailiya midfielder Belhanda remains bitter over his 2022 World Cup exclusion by then-Morocco coach Regragui, saying he received no explanation for the omission.

Younès Belhanda has not moved past his exclusion from Morocco's 2022 World Cup squad, which reached the semi-finals in Qatar. The Al-Sailiya midfielder, 32 at the time, said he was hopeful when Walid Regragui took over as coach after Vahid Halilhodzic, having previously worked with Regragui as an assistant. Regragui called him just before the squad announcement, giving him hope, but then left him out without explanation.

Belhanda said Regragui did not answer his phone on the day the squad was announced and never provided a reason for the decision. "You're a man, you tell me: 'Younès, I'm making choices.' I wasn't 15 years old. I was 32. I would have understood and accepted it. But not a call, nothing! It was very painful," Belhanda told the Riolo Club. He was so hurt that he did not watch Morocco's World Cup campaign and only regained interest in the national team after Regragui left his post. Speaking on the podcast, Belhanda concluded: "You see how far the hatred has gone."