Manchester United have escalated a formal complaint to FIFA after feeling they were unfairly treated in the build-up to their Premier League clash with Bournemouth.
The game ended in a dramatic 4-4 draw at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim was already short of defensive options on Monday night.
The Portuguese boss was missing Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt through injury. So, the situation became worse after the absence of Noussair Mazraoui.
The reason for the absence was that his national team, Morocco, refused United’s request to delay his release for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Earlier this month, FIFA confirmed that the release deadline for AFCON players had been pushed back to December 15. This was the same date for United’s fixture against Bournemouth.
United successfully reached agreements with Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, allowing Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo to feature in the match.
However, Morocco rejected a similar request for Mazraoui, despite the defender training with United in the days leading up to the game.
The Moroccan federation insisted he report early ahead of their AFCON opener against Comoros on Sunday.
According to The Independent, United have now contacted FIFA seeking “support and guidance” over the matter. They believe Morocco prioritised a training session over a Premier League fixture.
The BBC adds that United were not happy with the match being moved to Monday. It is because other clubs that played at the weekend retained their African players.
Manchester United will be without their African players when they take on Aston Villa this weekend in the Premier League.
🚨 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Manchester United have raised an appeal with FIFA after Morocco refused to allow Noussair Mazraoui to play against Bournemouth.
They made the refusal just hours before the deadline – United believed that the defender should have been eligible under the… pic.twitter.com/bbFAuw8TDM
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) December 17, 2025
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