JAKARTA - The Senegal Football Federation (FSF) is said to have sent a letter of protest to the 2023 U-17 World Cup committee. This is related to France U-17 participation which is considered ineligible to appear.

Quoted by Le Sportifs on Thursday, November 23, 2023, the FSF protest was sent via a letter dated November 22, 2023 addressed to the Director of the 2023 U-17 World Cup Competition.

The protests raised by the FSF were related to the spotlight on one of the U-17 French players, Yanis Ali Issoufou Abdoulkadre, who was deemed invalid in the 2023 U-17 World Cup.

"We beg the President Director, by considering related matters to disqualify France U-17 from the 2023 U-17 World Cup competition for fielding players who do not meet the requirements," the FSF wrote in his letter.

According to FSF, Issoufou is a problematic player in terms of administration at the 2023 U-17 World Cup. He always appears in the group stage twice as a starter and once as a substitute.

Issoufou's status was considered problematic because a few months earlier, he had strengthened Niger U-17 in the U-17 Africa Cup Qualifiers in 2022.

The U-17 Africa Cup itself is still in contact with the U-17 World Cup because the African representatives who appear in Indonesia are determined from the results in the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

The situation allegedly made Issoufou an administratively illegal player. The reason is, FIFA prohibits the same players from playing for two countries in the same tournament, including the U-17 Africa Cup and the U-17 World Cup.

This news reached the ears of France U-17 and in order to reduce this complicated situation, Les Bleus decided not to play Issoufou in the match against Senegal U-17 in the round of 16 on Wednesday, November 22, 2023.

The name Issoufou suddenly disappeared from the French squad U-17. In fact, Issoufou became a mainstay because he recorded two assists in three matches with France U-17 at the 2023 U-17 World Cup.

Despite this polemic, it was previously known that Senegal U-17 had to face France U-17 in the last 16 of the 2023 U-17 World Cup.

Senegal U-17 and France U-17 played a goalless draw of up to 90 minutes. Then Les Bleus won after passing the penalty shootout drama. The victory saw France U-17 qualify for the quarter-finals to meet Uzbekistan U-17.


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