Qadiwi denies coach snub

Moroccan midfielder Youssef el-Kadiwi Casablanca - Said Ali Moroccan midfielder Youssef el-Qadiwi has quashed media reports that he stormed off the substitutes bench during Morocco's World Cup qualifier with Gambia on Saturday, due to coach Rachid Taoussi's refusal to play him. Qadiwi told reporters that he missed the match through injury, adding that even if he was fit, he would respect Taoussi's decision. "I don't want the act of me leaving the bench to be seen as a protest against the coach, it wasn't," Qadiwi explained. He added that his fellow colleagues Salaheddine Saidi and Hamza Abourazzouk also left the bench before the match had finished. Morocco beat Gambia 2-0 in Marrakesh.