It was quite a weekend for Abderrazak Hamdallah. The Moroccan star came out on top in his personal battle with Talisca and Al-Nassr and then turned his attention to national team coach Vahid Halilhodic.
Things are never boring on or off the pitch with the new Al-Ittihad striker around.
On the pitch, it went as well as it could have done. On Saturday, Al-Ittihad met Al-Nassr, the club Hamdallah was released from in November. To say the two-time Saudi Pro League top scorer left under a cloud is an understatement. There is still plenty of bad feeling and in the build-up to the game, Al-Nassr’s Talisca, who joined the club last year and is currently leading the goalscoring charts, expressed some of it. Among other things, the Brazilian claimed that the atmosphere around the team had improved a lot since Hamdallah left. The North African reported the comments to the league’s disciplinary committee to add an extra edge to what was already a huge game.
Hamdallah was clearly determined to make his mark and starred as Al-Ittihad defeated their title rivals 3-0 to claim a 10th successive league win that took the Tigers seven points clear of new second-place team Al-Shabab and nine ahead of Al-Nassr.
To start with, he drew the fifth-minute penalty after being brought down by Anselmo with the Brazilian’s team-mates letting the striker know that they felt the spot-kick had been won unfairly. At least the Jeddah club did not rub salt into the wound as it was Romarinho who slotted the ball home. On the half-hour, Hamdallah provided the assist as Abdulaziz Al-Bishi curled home a lovely second. Just before the hour, the hitherto anonymous Talisca was red-carded and a perfect evening for Hamdallah ended when he scored his fourth in four games since joining Al-Ittihad to seal another win. It is difficult to see anyone stopping the runaway leaders at the moment, especially with Hamdallah in this mood.
The following day the striker was ready for another showdown. Morocco national team coach Vahid Halilhodzic said after the recent African Cup of Nations that he had not selected Hamdallah because he had demanded selection guarantees — ie, he wanted to be sure he would be playing before he answered the summons. On Sunday, the player denied that he had ever even talked to the Bosnian.
“I confirm that there was no contact or talk between me and the coach or any member of his staff since he has been in charge of the team,” Hamdallah said on social media. “The last call between me and Mr. Mustapha Hadji (a member of Halilhodzic’s staff) was in the year 2019 . . . He explained why I wasn’t invited to play for Morocco’s team, but he did not invite me.”
“The coach’s claim that I received an invite from Mr. Hadji, him, or the national team, and that I declined the invite and asked for a starting position is devoid of truth,” the 31-year-old said. He ended by making himself available for future selection. “Finally, I wish the national team success in all their endeavours. I would not hesitate or impose any conditions if I am invited to contribute to the Moroccan people’s happiness, as that is an issue and honor for any player.”
Hamdallah’s timing off the pitch is almost as good as it is on it. Halilhodzic’s job is under pressure. The Atlas Lions exited AFCON at the quarter-final stage after a disappointing performance against Egypt. The Bosnian boss has refused to select Hakim Ziyech, saying that the Chelsea star was not disciplined and not fully committed to the team. He did something similar with Ajax full-back Noussair Mazraoui, saying that he refused to train.
To leave out a star of the European champions was always going to be a big call, especially when results on the pitch are not what they should be. There are bigger issues at play. Ziyech has already disputed Halilhodzic’s version of events, as has Mazroui, and the Bosnian boss should be wary of another high-profile fallout dragging on and on. Not only have all three players disputed the truth of what the coach has said, it also brings into question his man-management skills. To fall-out with one star is unfortunate, two is careless and three indicates that something is seriously wrong — and just last week, the Moroccan FA denied rumors that goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had also fallen out with the boss. It is no surprise that, according to reports, Halilhodzic has been told to keep quiet about individual players by the FA and focus on football.
Hamdallah has not had a stellar international career but given that he is still in great goalscoring form, now may be a good time for the coach to select the striker for March’s World Cup play-off with DR Congo. At the moment, 2022 is going very well for Hamdallah and he may end up with more than a league title to show for it.