Injured Morocco midfielder joins squad for World Cup encouragement

DOHA : Morocco midfielder Amine Harit, originally chosen to play at the World Cup but injured one week before the start of the tournament, arrived in Qatar on Monday to be with the team for their semi-final against France on Wednesday.

Harit, 25, was welcomed by team mates, several of whom posted pictures with him on social media. He has moved in with the squad at their base in Doha and was continuing his treatment for a knee injury with the Moroccan medical staff.

Morocco’s captain Romain Saiss posted a photo on Instagram featuring him and Harit, writing: "Finally among us … May God heal you … This adventure is also yours."

Harit suffered a serious cruciate ligament sprain in his left knee playing for Olympique de Marseille against Monaco in Ligue 1 on Nov. 13,days before he was due to depart to the World Cup.

"As you can imagine, beyond the physical pain, it's hard to see the World Cup dream fly by a few hours before being able to live it," Harit said on Twitter following his injury.

(Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)