Although the Senegalese Football Federation had lodged an appeal with FIFA to denounce the striker's presence at the U17 World Cup with the French national team, even though he played in the qualifiers for Niger, the body has finally decided not to pursue the matter any further. In a press release signed by its General Secretary, Victor Seh Cissé, the Senegalese Football Federation stated that it had received FIFA's response to its complaint, while disputing the elements of the reply.
In particular, it points the finger at the fact that, five days before the start of the competition, any appeal concerning a player's eligibility has to be reported even though the player has not yet played. "On the contrary, the elements reported in your letter give an idea of the meaning of the decision, which is not to sanction her", says the FSF, continuing: "In view of all this, the FSF has decided to abandon the referral today and asks FIFA to acknowledge this." It now remains to be seen whether Yanis Issoufou will be able to take part in the rest of the U17 World Cup with the French team.
