The decision by Younes Ebnoutalib to represent Germany rather than Morocco has been blamed largely on his relationship with Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi, according to the striker’s agent.
Ebnoutalib, 23, recently received his first call-up to the Germany national team. His representative, Mourad Amani, used an interview with winwin to criticise Ouahbi and claim the coach failed to show sufficient consideration towards the Eintracht Frankfurt forward.
Amani said Ebnoutalib’s choice was driven more by his experience with Ouahbi than by a preference for Germany over Morocco’s national team, the Lions of the Atlas.
The forward had made a clear gesture towards Morocco at the start of the year, one month before Ouahbi was appointed as the team’s head coach. Ebnoutalib had hoped to be selected for the 2026 World Cup but was ultimately left out, a decision which appears to have played a significant part in his subsequent change of allegiance.
Amani said Ouahbi had not only failed to show respect to his player but had also treated him without proper consideration.
Agent rejects explanation for omission
Ouahbi addressed Ebnoutalib’s absence during a news conference on Thursday, when he announced his squad for Morocco’s next fixtures. The team will face Gabon and Lesotho on 25 and 29 September respectively in the opening two rounds of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The coach explained that previous decisions not to select the striker had been linked to injuries.
Amani rejected that account, insisting that Ebnoutalib’s omission was solely the result of a decision made by Ouahbi. He also said he had contacted the Royal Moroccan Football Federation directly to offer the forward’s services, but that the approach did not lead to a call-up.
The agent also outlined the discussions that preceded Ebnoutalib’s involvement with the German Football Association. According to Amani, the DFB had been monitoring the player since his time at Elversberg.
He suggested that the photograph involving Klopp was the result of a much longer process rather than an isolated meeting.
Klopp, the former Liverpool manager who came out of retirement to help restore Germany’s standing, had managed to convince Ebnoutalib of the value of joining the German set-up, Amani said.
The agent’s account also disclosed elements of Klopp’s message to the player, which amounted to another criticism of Ouahbi’s handling of the situation.