Maccabi Haifa's Ali Mohamed Cleared for Niger National Team Duty

Maccabi Haifa midfielder Ali Mohamed has been cleared to play for the Niger national team after initial concerns over an injury sustained during a recent match. Mohamed was substituted in the 26th minute of the game against Ironi Tiberias on Saturday due to a muscle injury. Despite attempting to continue, he was eventually replaced by Yarin Levi, appearing visibly distressed as he left the field.

However, club officials are relieved to confirm that the injury is not significant. Mohamed has already departed Israel to join his national team for upcoming fixtures. His team, Niger, is scheduled to play Lesotho on Friday and Gabon next Tuesday as part of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Following these matches, Niger will face Algeria in a friendly game the subsequent week.

The 30-year-old Mohamed began the current Israeli Premier League season on the bench. After coming on as a substitute at halftime in the loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the second round, he earned a starting position in coach Barak Bakhar's lineup for the following three games.