Bouaddi with Morocco: Létang had alerted the FFF, Deschamps did nothing

Ayyoub Bouaddi is about to face France in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup wearing the Morocco shirt, this Thursday at 10 p.m. A clash that takes on particular resonance: the LOSC midfielder, born in Senlis and developed through all French youth teams, chose the Lions of the Atlas after long hesitation.

According to information from L’Équipe, Lille president Olivier Létang had directly contacted Philippe Diallo to alert him to the risk of seeing his player switch to Morocco. The FFF president reportedly replied that the decision was up to Didier Deschamps, not him. The coach ultimately did not call up Bouaddi for this 2026 World Cup.

Deschamps’ assistant, Guy Stéphan, justified this choice without questioning the qualities of the 18-year-old player. “Obviously we know him. He is a pure product of French development. He went through all the youth teams in France. He was born and grew up in the Paris region,” he recalled before citing the depth of the French midfield. “He made a choice at a certain point in his career, we are not going to blame him. We are well stocked in this area. We have Rabiot, Koné, Zaïre-Emery, Kanté and Tchouameni. If I ask who to drop, we would not have the same answer in the room. He is a very good player.”

Called up by Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi, Bouaddi seized his chance at this World Cup and established himself as one of the tournament’s revelations. France, which watched him develop in its training centers, now faces him at the crucial moment of the tournament.