France could be disqualified from U17 World Cup as Senegal 'send official appeal to FIFA'

Senegal have lodged an appeal calling for France to be disqualified from the U17 World Cup after they fielded an 'ineligible' player during the group stages, say reports.

One of the tournament favourites France beat Senegal in a tense penalty shoot-out on Wednesday as Jean-Luc Vanucchi's side secured their place in the quarter-finals.

Les Blues are set to face underdogs Uzbekistan at the Manahan Stadium on Saturday, November 25 – but it appears they could have a potentially tournament-ending problem on their hands.

That's according to a report from Sport News Africa, who claim the Senegalese FA have informed FIFA over the use of Yanis Issoufou; a player that has featured heavily so far in Indonesia.

Issoufou, who plays his club football for Ligue 1 side Montpellier, notched two assists in three games for France ahead of their clash against Senegal.

But interestingly, he was left out for their Round of 16 game against Senegal, which came after the initial reports about his ineligibility emerged.

Issoufou is believed to have represented Niger U17's in a competition that allowed the African nation to compete at this winter's U17 World Cup.

The 17-year-old forward is said to have taken part in the UFOA B tournament against Benin and Ivory Coast, which helped Senegal qualify for the AFCON U17. In fact, he scored against the latter.

FIFA, meanwhile, was not notified of his change of sporting nationality, say Sport News Africa, and some members of the French coaching staff were 'unaware of his past with Niger'.

As stated in the FIFA rule book [article 24]. it is prohibited for a player to represent two nations during the same tournament.

On Thursday afternoon, journalist Ibrahim Sannie Daara posted a picture of the 'official protest' sent by Senegal's FA.

🚨 BREAKING: #Senegal FA has sent an official protest against #France to FIFA over the use of Yanis Issoufou at the ongoing U17 World Cup.

Senegal claim Yanis Issoufou played the qualifying matches with Niger and he is currently with the French U17s! #FIFA pic.twitter.com/lh8Ij2LFJZ

— Ibrahim Sannie Daara (@SannieDaara) November 23, 2023

Burkina Faso are also reportedly considering lodging an appeal against France.