Issa Diop made his first appearance for Morocco in Friday’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador, hours after FIFA cleared his nationality switch.
The Fulham defender, born in France to a Senegalese father and Moroccan mother, had long hoped for a France call-up but chose Morocco after talks with coach Mohamed Ouahbi and federation president Fouzi Lekjaa.
His debut comes as Morocco celebrate being awarded the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, stripped from Senegal after their walk-off protest in the final.
Senegal, still parading the trophy and appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, staged a defiant press conference declaring themselves “Champions of Africa.”
Diop’s decision adds symbolic weight to Morocco’s disputed triumph, intensifying the rivalry between the two nations.
