Israeli forward Manor Solomon described difficult treatment during his time at Villarreal, saying on the show "Asnaheim Mehost" that "there was a Moroccan player who did not shake my hand in the locker room and did not come hug me after goals." The player he was referring to is 22-year-old winger Ilias Akhomach.
Akhomach was born in Spain to Moroccan parents and grew up in Barcelona's La Masia academy, where he was considered one of the standout players of his age group. He later failed to make the leap into Barcelona's first team and left in summer 2023 as a free agent from Barcelona B to Villarreal.
Although he represented Spain at youth level, Akhomach chose to play for Morocco. He made a few appearances in World Cup qualifying, but was not selected for Morocco's current World Cup squad. In January, Villarreal extended his contract through 2028 and immediately loaned him to Rayo Vallecano for the rest of the season.
The article also says this was not his first anti-Israel gesture. In November 2023, about a month after the October 7 attacks, Villarreal hosted Maccabi Haifa in the Europa League and held a minute of silence for the Israeli victims. Akhomach and Algeria captain Ismaël Bennacer did not honor it, and refused to stand with their teammates in the center circle.
