Uzbekistan and Morocco out
Mali and France followed Germany and Argentina into the semi-finals of the 2023 U17 World Cup. On Saturday, the two teams won 1-0 in Indonesia against Morocco and Uzbekistan, which had previously surprisingly knocked England out of the tournament.
Ismail Bouneb from FC Valenciennes scored for France in the 83rd minute. Striker Yanis Issoufou was not in coach Jean-Luc Vannuchi’s squad after being banned at least temporarily by FIFA. The decision was preceded by complaints from France’s previous opponents Burkina Faso and Senegal. According to the prosecution, Issoufou, who was born in France but has roots in Niger, should not have played for France at the U17 World Cup. The French apparently didn’t notice this and, in order to prevent something worse from happening, removed the striker from the squad before the game against Senegal’s youngsters. However, according to the newspaper “L’Équipe”, France is not threatened with the disqualification that was initially rumored.
The background to Senegal’s lawsuit is not entirely straightforward. Essentially, according to the FIFA statutes, a player is not allowed to play for two different teams within the same tournament. Niger had not qualified for the U17 World Cup in Indonesia, but Issoufou played for the country in a regional tournament run by the West African Football Association, which is a qualifying tournament for the U17 Africa Cup of Nations, which in turn is crucial for participation in the World Cup is.
For Mali, Ibrahim Diarra, who plays for the Academie Africa Foot, was decisively successful in the 81st minute in the intra-African duel with Morocco. The game between the French and the Malians will take place on Tuesday at 1 p.m., the DFB team will face the Albiceleste at 9:30 a.m.
Winner of the Golden Boot at U17 World Championships since 2000
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