The French podcast «Le Club des 5» hosted Moroccan international Romain Saïss, who currently plays for Al Sadd in Qatar. During the interview, he discussed his football career and highlighted key moments from the national team's journey in the Africa Cup of Nations and the recent World Cup in Qatar.
Saïss reflected on the period when Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodžić was in charge of the Moroccan national team, a time marked by significant tensions with the media and several players, most notably Hakim Ziyech.
Saïss revealed that the conflict between Ziyech and Halilhodžić began during a national team training camp, shortly after Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League. He explained that Ziyech arrived at the camp exhausted and went to the physiotherapy room for a massage session.
At that moment, Halilhodžić called out to him, asking him to join, but Ziyech replied, «I won’t come now, as you can see, I’m getting a massage… I’ll finish up and then join».
This response did not sit well with the coach, prompting him to take a firm stance. Saïss mentioned that Ziyech later told him the coach had asked him to leave. He added, «I was present at a meeting that evening with the coach, Ziyech, and the president of the federation, where I acted as a translator, carefully choosing words to bridge the gap».
The following day, Saïss confirmed that Halilhodžić contacted him and expressed his intention to move forward with Ziyech, but what happened next was unexpected.
In the subsequent training camp, Ziyech called Saïss and suggested they travel together from England on the same flight, to which Saïss agreed. However, the next morning, the final roster was announced, and Ziyech's name was not on the list. Halilhodžić then held a press conference where he harshly criticized Ziyech.
Saïss affirmed that the coach's statements reached the English press, negatively impacting Ziyech's career at Chelsea, as he lost his place in the starting lineup under manager Thomas Tuchel.