Osama Sahrawi joins Morocco’s Atlas Lions amid wave of recruitment of Moroccan diaspora talent

French Lille striker Osama Sahrawi has decided to switch his sports nationality from Norway to Morocco and join the “Atlas Lions.”

The Moroccan Football Federation officially announced last week that it had received FIFA’s legal approval, allowing the 21-year-old Sahrawi to represent the Moroccan national team.

Previously, he had played a friendly match for Norway.

Sahrawi joins a growing list of players born in Europe who hold dual nationalities and started their careers with their countries of residence before switching allegiances to represent their country of origin.

In recent years, a notable group of players of Moroccan descent, who made their names in prominent clubs in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway, have gone on to achieve significant successes with the Moroccan national team, both regionally and globally.

Born in Oslo to Moroccan parents, Sahrawi played for Norway’s youth teams before making his senior debut in a friendly against Jordan in September 2023, a match that ended in Norway’s 6-0 win.

FIFA regulations allow players to change their international allegiance after playing a single match for another national team, as long as the game was not part of an official competition.

This rule has paved the way for several players to join Morocco, including Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz, who joined the Moroccan squad after several attempts by the Spanish Federation to secure his services.

In March 2023, Diaz officially joined the Moroccan national team after months of anticipation.

Others soon followed, including Noussair Mazraoui of Manchester United, Sofyan Amrabat, currently playing for Turkish side Fenerbahçe, and Zakaria Aboukhlal from Toulouse.

Anass Zaroury and Bilal El Khannous also joined the “Atlas Lions” after initially representing Belgium’s youth teams.

Paris Saint-Germain’s star, Achraf Hakimi, similarly opted to represent Morocco over Spain.

Former Moroccan national team star Saïd Chiba believes that the decisions of these players are primarily due to the high level of Moroccan football.

Chiba explained that the Moroccan Football Federation has successfully developed strong infrastructure and recruited various talents, making the “Atlas Lions” an appealing choice for players of Moroccan descent.

He added that the “social environment is important in motivating these players to join the Moroccan national team, but the sporting aspect cannot be overlooked either.”

He pointed out that the achievements of the team under coach Walid Regragui have been instrumental in encouraging players to opt for Morocco.

It is worth noting that the Moroccan national team delivered a sensational performance in the 2022 World Cup, becoming the first Arab and African team to reach the semi-finals after eliminating Spain and Portugal.

The success continued at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where the team secured a bronze medal, becoming the first Arab team to do so after overcoming Egypt in the third-place match.