Audio By Carbonatix
Manchester United are angry with the Moroccan Football Association for rejecting their plea for Noussair Mazraoui to play in Monday's 4-4 draw with Bournemouth.
This is six days before the country's opener at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
United head coach Ruben Amorim said on Friday that negotiations with the relevant national bodies were continuing over the release of Mazraoui, Cameroon's Bryan Mbeumo and Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo to Afcon.
FIFA announced on 3 December that clubs only need to release players from 15 December, instead of 14 days before the tournament that runs from 21 December to 18 January.
While Mbeumo and Amad were allowed to stay for Monday's match, Morocco, who host the tournament and play Comoros on 21 December, took a different view.
United had anticipated all three players would be available, given that the rest of the Premier League matches were played before the revised release date announced by FIFA, which it said could be negotiated with the relevant countries.
Mazraoui trained with United all week, thinking he would be involved.
BBC Sport understands United escalated the matter to world football's governing body, which did not force Morocco to back down.
This has led to considerable frustration at Old Trafford, with insiders saying United believe they have been unfairly treated.
While they felt Cameroon and Ivory Coast were sympathetic and collaborative in their discussions, the club feel Morocco prioritised a national team training session over an important league game.
Italian side Roma and La Liga outfit Real Betis experienced similar frustration in their dealings with Morocco.
FIFA had urged federations and clubs to "hold bilateral discussions in good faith to find appropriate individual solutions."
It added: "In cases where there continues to be a dispute over the release of players subsequent to such bilateral discussions, FIFA will, in mediating between both parties, apply guidelines that take into account the circumstances of each case, including factors related to the timing of matches of affected competitions, the stage of these competitions, the historical and planned involvement of the players in the matches in question, as well as any other pertinent factors."
Mbeumo and Amad have now joined up with their national squads and will miss Sunday's Premier League trip to Aston Villa.
In Mazraoui's absence, and with Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt both ruled out through injury, Amorim included 19-year-old Ayden Heaven and 20-year-old centre-back Leny Yoro - who joined for £52.18m - in his defence against the Cherries as United missed the chance to climb into fifth spot in the table.
BBC Sport has contacted Morocco and FIFA for comment.
Latest Stories
-
25 MDAs sign data-sharing pact with Ghana Statistical Service
3 seconds -
Legacy Girls’ College celebrates national recognition of two students at 2025 WASSCE
6 minutes -
Oil price jumps despite deal to release record amount of reserves
15 minutes -
Sahara Group commissions 40,000cbm Asharami Ghana LPG vessel to advance clean energy access in Ghana
23 minutes -
Ghana’s Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire marks 69th independence day with call to ‘build prosperity and restore hope’
24 minutes -
COCOBOD to distribute 27,000 sprayers and 89,000 PPE sets to cocoa farmers
33 minutes -
Ntim Fordjour accuses NDC of ‘double standards’ over presidential travel
39 minutes -
Israel–Iran war shakes global insurance industry; Ghana may face heavy impact – Dr Kingsley Agyemang
42 minutes -
DJ Mensah calls for national support for Rapperholic UK as Sarkodie eyes O2 Arena
45 minutes -
COCOBOD disburses GH¢4.2bn to Licensed Buying Companies to settle cocoa farmers’ arrears
46 minutes -
Rebecca Ekpe launches mentorship programme for young journalists and digital creators
47 minutes -
Home Support: How we can use Ghanaians living in the diaspora to form supporter groups for the 2026 World Cup and save millions
54 minutes -
NPP communicator, Senyo Amekplenu seeks audit service expenditure details under RTI
1 hour -
British man charged in Dubai for alleged filming of Iranian missiles
1 hour -
The mirage of president’s special initiatives – Mahama’s “Legacy Projects”, or another monuments of waste?
1 hour
