France against the rest of the world. Or rather against Burkina Faso and Senegal. Qualified for the quarter-finals of the U17 World Cup currently taking place in Indonesia, the mini-Blues are in the sights of two of their opponents, who denounce an irregularity on the French side: that of having played the young Yanis Issoufou, the young striker from Montpellier HSC.
In question, a selection of this same player with the U17s of Niger during the qualifying phase for the CAN U17 which should have prevented him from continuing under the French jersey as stipulated by the FIFA regulations, since the CAN was qualifier for the World Cup. Thus, after Burkina Faso, who faced the Bleuets in the group stage, it is the turn of Senegal, defeated by Jean-Luc Vannuchi’s gang in the round of 16, to demand the disqualification of France from the competition in a document distributed by Sports News Africa.
A return for Issoufou in the quarter-finals?
A sanction which should ultimately not fall, FIFA having since reassured the French staff since the requests from Burkina Faso and Senegal should have been submitted five days before the start of the World Cup. Issoufou participated in the first three matches of the competition, against Burkina Faso (3-0), South Korea (1-0) and the United States (3-0), before being sidelined for reasons of precaution during the round of 16 won by the Bleuets on penalties on Wednesday.
From there, could the player make his return by the end of the competition? Answer Saturday at 9:30 a.m., the date on which the French U17 team faces Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals for a place in the last four.