Why Andres Iniesta won't join Morocco National Team management | OneFootball

Talks between Morocco and a former football legend collapse at the last minute

Why Andres Iniesta won't join Morocco National Team management

Andres Iniesta will not join Morocco as sporting director after talks collapsed over financial disagreements.

Why Iniesta’s move to Morocco fell through

Plans for Andres Iniesta to become sporting director of the Morocco national team have collapsed after negotiations between both sides failed to reach a final agreement.

The former Barcelona & Spain star had been linked with a role in the management structure of the Atlas Lions as the team prepares for World Cup 2026.

Reports suggested the Moroccan federation had explored the idea since the AFCON 2025 tournament.

However according to Spanish newspaper Marca, discussions between the two parties broke down earlier this week because of financial disagreements ending the possibility of Iniesta joining the project.

Changes around the Morocco National Team

The discussions came during a period of change within Moroccan football. The federation had reportedly reached agreement for Walid Regragui to leave his position as head coach, with Mohamed Ouahbi taking over the team ahead of the next major tournaments.

Iniesta considered as a candidate to strengthen the administrative side of the national team as Morocco prepares for the World Cup in 2026 where the Atlas Lions hope to continue their recent progress on the international stage.

Earlier reports from Sky Sports had already indicated that no final agreement had been reached between Iniesta and the Moroccan federation.

Other coaching talks also collapse

Iniesta was not the only high-profile name linked with the Moroccan project. French reports recently claimed that the federation had reached a verbal agreement with Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli to take charge of the national team.

However those talks also failed to produce a final deal. Sampaoli who coached Argentina at FIFA World Cup 2018 was seen as another possible option before negotiations eventually stopped.