Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was replaced by Munir Mohand El Mohamedi El Kajoui in the last minutes leading up to country’s game against Belgium in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup.

Fans were shocked when Morocco’s goalkeeper was substituted despite lining up for the national anthem. Bounou walked out of the tunnel with his team-mates and lined up for the national anthem. He is then seen on camera shaking hands with the Belgium players as usual.

However, later, Munir Mohand Mohamedi El Kajoui is pictured in the official pre-match team photo.

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The replacement was so sudden that even BBC commentators took 38 minutes to notice the change. Several times commentator Guy Mowbray referred to Mohamedi as Bono.

While he was present for all the pre-match dignitaries, Bounou later was not seen. The reason behind the switch remains unknown.

Who is Yassine Bounou?

Yassine Bounou, also known as Bono, is a Canadian-Moroccan professional footballer. He is a goalkeeper for La Liga club Sevilla and the Morocco national team.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Bounou moved to Morocco at an early age, and made his senior debut with Wydad Casablanca in 2011.

He spent most of his career in Spain, making over 100 La Liga appearances for Girona and Sevilla, and 56 in Segunda División for Zaragoza and Girona. He won the UEFA Europa League for Sevilla in 2020.

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Bounou was eligible to represent Canada or Morocco internationally but opted to represent the latter. He appeared with the under-20 team at the 2012 Toulon Tournament, playing in one match during the competition.

He was also selected in the 18-man under-23 squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics. However, he acted as a backup to Mohamed Amsif during the tournament.

Since 2013, Bounou represented his nation at two FIFA World Cup and three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.