ON HIS OWN Andre Onana could be BANNED from playing for Man Utd by little-known Fifa rule as keeper considers Afcon snub
The goalkeeper is considering staying at home for the tournament
Posted Friday, December 01, 2023 by Thesun.co.uk
ANDRE ONANA could be banned from playing for Manchester United because of a little-known Fifa rule.
The United No1 is expected to travel to the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon in January.
Andre Onana could be banned from playing for Manchester United if he refuses to go to Afcon Credit: Getty
He retired from international duty after quitting the team during the World Cup last year, but has since returned to the squad after repairing his relationship with manager Rigobert Song.
However Onana could decide to sit out of Afcon in a bid to focus on United, as his form has suffered since joining the club.
He made a blunder against Galatasaray which allowed the Turkish side to mount a comeback in the 3-3 draw.
But if Cameroon demand he plays and Onana refuses, the goalkeeper could be prohibited from playing for the Red Devils by Fifa.
The official Fifa line reads: "A player who has been called up by his association for one of its representative teams is, unless otherwise agreed by the relevant association, not entitled to play for the club with which he is registered during the period for which he has been released or should have been released pursuant to the provisions of this annex, plus an additional period of five days.”
Liverpool defender Joel Matip avoided a ban after failing to represent Cameroon at Afcon in 2017 and 2020 - though he has not played for his country since 2015.
Onana could miss six United games with Afcon running from January 13 to February 11.
The shot-stopper has struggled since his summer move and Premier League legend Ruud Gullit believes Erik ten Hag will have to start asking questions of his keeper.
He said: "He knows these are horrible mistakes, he knows that. He’s going to talk in private with his goalkeeper and ask what the hell are you doing, what is going on?
"Maybe he has to make a decision, you never know. The problem is you want to give your goalkeeper, as much as you can, confidence.
"Not immediately after a mistake get out. With goalkeepers it is hard. He was in a difficult situation.
"He saved them once but I feel for him I know he’s a good goalkeeper but he cost them a lot of games."
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