Al-Salami Reveals 'Royal Directive' Granting Him Jordanian Citizenship

Moroccan Jamal Al-Salami, head coach of the Jordan national football team, revealed that the Jordanian monarch King Abdullah II has decided to grant him Jordanian citizenship.

Al-Salami spoke about his future with the Jordanian national team after the team finished second in the Arab Cup, following a 3-2 loss in the final match against Morocco. He said he received a request from Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, to remain with the team after qualifying for the World Cup.

Al-Salami explained: "I did not come to achieve a milestone and then leave, but to build a team and a comprehensive project, and when I feel the project is complete, I will leave."

He added that it was a "great honor" to be informed by the Jordanian Crown Prince that King Abdullah II had decided to grant him Jordanian citizenship.

Al-Salami concluded his statements by saying, "In the future, we will work on developing the Jordanian local league competition so that it contributes to producing young players capable of representing the Jordan national team in the best possible way."

The Morocco national team won the Arab Cup after defeating Jordan 3-2 after extra time in the final on Thursday at Lusail Stadium in Doha.

Morocco’s goals were scored by Oussama Tannane with a shot from about sixty meters early in the match (4th minute) and substitute Abderrazak Hamdallah (88th, 100th minutes), while Jordan’s goals came from Ali Alwan (48th and 68th minute penalty).

This is Morocco’s second Arab Cup title after 2012, keeping the trophy in Africa following Algeria’s win in 2021 in Qatar as well, while Jordan failed to secure its first title in its first final appearance.

Following Morocco’s historic achievement at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where it became the first African and Arab team to reach the semifinals, the pace of successes in Moroccan football has accelerated.

Morocco qualified this year for the 2026 World Cup, won the U-20 World Cup in Chile, the African Nations Championship, and the U-17 Championship, and capped the year with the Arab Cup title. Meanwhile, their senior team is preparing to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil starting Sunday.

On the other hand, Jordan failed to win the title for the first time in its first final appearance and suffered another loss in a final at Lusail Stadium, which hosted the 2022 World Cup final, after losing the 2024 Asian Cup final in February against Qatar.

The "Nashama" are preparing to participate in the World Cup for the first time in their history next summer in North America.