France risk disqualification from U17 World Cup
France could be disqualified from the U17 World Cup after fielding Yanis Issoufou, who had already represented NIger during the qualification stages.
As reported by Sport News Africa, an administrative error could put pay to Les Bleuets’ chances of winning the ongoing tournament, which is taking place in Indonesia. France are through to the quarter-finals after beating Senegal in the Round of 16 on Wednesday. However, one player absent from the squad was Issoufou. The Montpellier forward was withdrawn from the teamsheet at the last minute with France worried about the player’s inclusion. He had registered two assists in three appearances at the competition, but the FFF did not want to take any chances.
Issoufou had recently played for Niger U17s in a competition that allowed the African nation to qualify for the U17 World Cup, whilst FIFA’s rules prohibit a player from representing two nations during the same tournament. Burkina Faso, who were dumped out of the competition at France’s expense, could file a plea, according to Sport News Africa. The publication added that France had not requested to change Issoufou’s nationality.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
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