Manchester United have seen a formal appeal to world football's governing body dismissed after a club-versus-country row left them without a key defender for a Premier League fixture.
The Fixture Clash That Sparked the Dispute
The controversy stems from the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which is being hosted by Morocco. FIFA had recommended that all players selected for the tournament be released by their clubs at least seven days before their nation's first match. Morocco's opening game is against Comoros on December 21.
United were scheduled to play Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Monday, December 15. With just six days between that match and Morocco's AFCON opener, the Moroccan Football Association decided to enforce the guidance and block defender Noussair Mazraoui from featuring for his club.
According to reports, the 28-year-old would have been available had the Bournemouth fixture not been moved to a Monday evening television broadcast slot. This scheduling change, which was out of United's direct control, is at the heart of the club's grievance.
United's Escalation and FIFA's Verdict
ESPN reports that Manchester United had planned to use Mazraoui and made an initial request to Morocco for his release, which was rejected. The club then escalated the matter by contacting FIFA.
However, FIFA upheld the Moroccan FA's decision, stating it was in line with their pre-tournament guidance for the AFCON. This left United bosses, including manager Ruben Amorim, frustrated and feeling they had been unfairly punished due to a broadcast rescheduling.
Throughout the disagreement, Mazraoui is said to have remained professional, training with the United squad as normal last week before departing for international duty on Sunday night as planned.
Consequences for United's Squad
The fallout from this dispute has immediate consequences for United's upcoming matches. Mazraoui will now be absent, along with other AFCON participants Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon) and Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), for this weekend's Premier League trip to face Aston Villa.
They will also be without midfielder Casemiro, who serves a one-match suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in the thrilling 4-4 draw with Bournemouth.
Addressing the challenge of losing multiple players, Amorim stated: 'It's an opportunity for everyone, we'll be ready for the challenge. We already knew that could happen to any team. A lot of teams are going to lose players... and we need to just go into the next game with the responsibility to win.'
The manager added that the squad would have to find different ways to create and score goals in the absence of their international stars.
