Morocco dedicate famous World Cup win over Spain to Nouri
The players were photographed with a shirt of the former player in the dressing room after eliminating Spain in the last 16 of the World Cup.
The Morocco team made a nice gesture to Abdelhak Nouri and his family yesterday by remembering the former player as they celebrated advancing to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
After beating Spain 3-0 in a penalty shootout, the Moroccan players were photographed with a shirt with the former Ajax player’s name and the number 34.
Nouri revived after suffering cardiac arrest
Nouri suffered a cardiac arrest in a pre-season match for Ajax against Werder Bremen in Austria in 2017. Despite being revived, he suffered serious and permanent brain damage.
His father, Mohammed Nouri, spoke to NOS to acknowledge and thank his country’s team for the tribute: “It’s very nice to see. It was very emotional for the whole family. We will never forget it. That they still think of Appie is a great thing”.
He went on to explain how Nouri is progressing and how he expresses himself after suffering brain damage. “It’s lived with sadness, but we do the best we can. We believe that Allah will heal him. I showed him videos of Moroccans celebrating victory. Sometimes he responds with a smile, a raised eyebrow or a wink. That means he is happy. From time to time he gets emotional. Yesterday it was a smile,” he said.
Nouri was a regular in the Dutch youth team. Although he was born in Amsterdam, he has dual nationality because of his Moroccan parents.