Manchester United will be without three players over the Christmas period due to AFCON, but negotiations with Morocco to keep Nouser Mazraoui for the match against Bournemouth have failed.
Manchester United have contacted FIFA after Morocco refused permission for Nousser Mazraoui to play against Bournemouth. The defender was not allowed to delay his departure for the African Cup of Nations and joined up with his compatriots on Sunday night.
At the beginning of the month, it was announced that clubs would be required to release players from December 15, rather than 14 days before the start of the tournament on December 21. That was of little help to United, who were due to play the Cherries on Monday through no fault of their own.
Following negotiations with Ivory Coast and Cameroon, Amad and Brian Mbeumo were allowed to play in the dramatic 4-4 draw against Bournemouth. The Red Devils also wanted to call up Mazraoui before their initial request was rejected by Morocco.
United escalated the matter to FIFA, but the governing body ultimately supported Morocco’s position. The country’s decision is in line with pre-tournament guidance, with the AFCON host nation playing in the tournament’s opening match.
As usual, Mazraoui prepared for his departure with Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad. The former Ajax ace is said to have been “professional” and “respectful” during the dispute.
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United bosses are said to feel they have been “unfairly punished” after their Premier League fixtures were rescheduled. They asked FIFA for guidance, but no solution was found, and Italian powerhouse Roma and La Liga side Real Betis had similar frustrations with their dealings with Morocco.
FIFA called on international federations and clubs to “carry out bilateral consultations in good faith to find an appropriate individual solution”.
“If, as a result of such bilateral consultations, a dispute over the release of a player continues, FIFA will apply guidelines in mediation between the parties that take into account the circumstances of each case, including factors relating to the timing of matches in the affected competition, the stage of the competition, the player’s past and planned involvement in the matches in question, and other relevant factors,” the document said.
Amorim will be without Mazrawi, Amad and Mbeumo during the festival. Former United defender Paul Parker predicts the latter ability will be felt most keenly.
Parker told MyBettingSites.co.uk: “It’s impossible for Man United to cope with the loss of Mbeumo when he leaves for AFCON. They can’t do that. They don’t have players close to his level so they will struggle without him.”
“He will be a big miss and I don’t understand how they can do anything without him. We have to remember that he is one of the best players in the league and definitely Manchester United’s best player.”
“He’s a very scary player on the right wing, but who should replace him? Amad Diallo has also left. So will they play Mason Mount or Zirksee? Hmm, I can’t imagine how that will go.”
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