Marzouk defects!

By tdf, March 13, 2014

Juventus youngster, Younes Marzouk, made his debut last week for the French U18 squad, in a 1-3 rout of Germany. A stunning result, but what is more worthy of the eyebrows raising is the fact that only last Summer, Marzouk was the star of the Moroccan U17 side which did ever so well at the U17 world cup, when his (then) national side achieved a respectable 4th spot finish, with the young striker scoring 3 in the process.

Clearly he has decided to alter his allegiance. From his North African heritage, which served as a platform for his vibrant talents, to the country of his birth and upbringing, France.

On one hand, this can be seen as great news for Juventus, for the French national sides are clearly above the Moroccans; they have far greater exposure and a considerably higher ranking.

Yet…it bothers me somewhat, to find any player, young or old, changing his allegiance. Especially after playing a starring role in a country’s last international tournament.

Still, with a lad of barely 18 years of age, I can point my finger of contempt at his agent. For his job is to make money for his client and to engineer the best opportunities available to them both.

In absence of the details, such as…was Marzouk approached by the French FA???…its tricky to offer judgement, and also, why should any judgement be offered. Certainly, its great for the club for one of our youngsters to have ‘progressed’ to a stronger national side. Perhaps guarantees were given in terms of his selection??

Essentially, I find the situation at best…odd. But I wish him well, hope he continues scoring for our primavera and forges a regular starting place in the french U18s.