Yanis Issoufou’s (17) participation in the ongoing U17 World Cup in Indonesia is the subject of much controversy, however, it looks unlikely that the Montpellier HSC will feature again in the tournament after being provisionally suspended by FIFA.
Issoufou featured prominently for France U17’s during the group stage of the tournament, however, he was pulled from the teamsheet just before Les Bleuets’ Round of 16 tie against Senegal in the wake of a plea from Burkina Faso, who exited the competition at France’s expense.
France progress to U17 World Cup semi-finals
Their plea, as well as that of Senegal, who were knocked out by France on penalties, highlighted Issoufou’s ineligibility for the tournament, having previously represented Niger U17s in a competition that allowed the African nation to qualify for the U17 World Cup. FIFA’s rules prohibit a player from representing two nations during the same competition. Senegal have since withdrawn their plea.
According to L’Équipe, France are not at risk of qualification from the tournament, however, Issoufou has been provisionally suspended by FIFA and it looks as though his tournament is now over. France U17s progressed to the semi-finals of the competition after beating Uzbekistan 1-0 on Saturday.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
