Dutch-born Oussama Idrissi called up by Morocco

by Staff Reporter

Saturday Nov 03, 2018. 10:15

The Moroccan national team have called up Dutch-born AZ Alkmaar winger Oussama Idrissi ahead of their matches against Cameroon and Tunisia later this month.

The Eredivisie club confirmed the news on their official website on Friday: “Oussama Idrissi has been included in the pre-selection of Morocco by national coach Hervé Renard,” AZ stated.

“The Moroccans play international matches against Cameroon and Tunisia between November 16 and November 20. November 12, Renard announces his final selection.

“Idrissi was called up for the Dutch Junior Team in the previous international break by Erwin van de Looi. In total he played 11 international matches for the Dutch promises, in which he scored three times.”

Idrissi, 22, was born in Bergen Op Zoom to Moroccan parents and has spent his entire career in the Netherlands.

At the junior levels, he was on the books of (amongst others) NAC Breda and Feyenoord, before getting his professional break with Groningen in late 2015. He signed with AZ in January 2018.

Should Idrissi honour the call-up and switch international allegiance, he will be another Dutch-born Eredivisie star to turn his back on the ‘Oranje’ in the 2018/19 season.

During the September international break Ajax’s promising right-back Noussair Mazraoui accepted the chance to play for Morocco, having been strongly courted by Dutch coach Ronald Koeman in the hope that he would represent the European nation.

Morocco will face Cameroon in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on November 16 and then play fellow North Africans Tunisia in a friendly four days later.