Manchester United’s frustration with Morocco over Noussair Mazraoui’s Afcon release has boiled over after the player was not allowed to feature in Monday’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth, six days before Morocco begin their Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
United boss Ruben Amorim confirmed last Friday that talks with the relevant national bodies were ongoing about Mazraoui’s return and that Cameroon’s Bryan Mbeumo and Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo were also involved in discussions regarding Afcon release.
Fifa’s decision on December 3 altered the release window, stating clubs only need to release players from December 15 instead of the 14-day pre-tournament window. The Afcon runs from December 21 to January 18. While Mbeumo and Amad were permitted to stay for Monday’s match, Morocco—hosts of the tournament and who meet Comoros on December 21—took a different stance.
United had expected all three players to be available, especially since the rest of the Premier League schedule was completed before the revised release date and Fifa had noted that negotiations with national associations could occur. Mazraoui trained with United all week in the belief he would play.
BBC Sport understands United escalated the issue to Fifa, but the world governing body did not compel Morocco to concede.
The situation has left Old Trafford deeply frustrated, with insiders feeling mis-treated. While Cameroon and Ivory Coast appeared cooperative during discussions, United feel Morocco prioritized a national training session over a crucial league match.
Roma and Real Betis reportedly faced similar pushback in their dealings with Morocco.
Fifa had urged federations and clubs to engage in good-faith bilateral talks to reach suitable individual solutions and stated that if disputes persisted after such discussions, it would mediate using guidelines considering factors such as match timing, competition stage, and each player’s involvement history and plans.
Mbeumo and Amad have since connected with their national squads and will miss Sunday’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa.
With Mazraoui unavailable, and with Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt injured, Amorim drafted 19-year-old Ayden Heaven and 20-year-old center-back Leny Yoro (new signing for £52.18m) into United’s defence for the clash against the Cherries, a result that prevented United from climbing into fifth in the table.
BBC Sport has requested comments from Morocco and Fifa.
