Drama for France as Saudi club reclaims their best player in U-20 team
Saïmon Bouabré is now allowed by his Saudi club to play the U-20 World Cup semi-final match with France.
The U-20 World Cup semi-finals take place tonight, with Morocco facing France at 22:00 CET, for a chance to reach the final at the FIFA World Cup for players under 20 years old. Saïmon Bouabré has been the star of the team in the play-offs: he wasn't in the group stage, but was the best player in round of 16 and quarter-finals, scoring two goals. However, this 19-year-old will not be able to play semi-finals nor a potential final, and his club doesn't allow him to go.
Bouabré is one of the few young European talents to leave for Saudi Arabia. After playing for Monaco's young team, the French midfielder, who has been international for France since he was 15, joined Saudi Pro League club Neom last summer. And now they want him back.
Bouabré only played round of 16 and quarter-finals because it coincided with the FIFA international break. But it has ended now, and the Saudi club has the legal right to force the player to return to the Saudi Pro League. That has left the France U-20 squad without one of their key players.
Head coach for the U-20 team, Bernard Diomède, said that "It's frustrating for the player, who won't be able to continue his adventure with us and play this great match against Morocco with his friends. It's also frustrating for the coaching staff and his teammates. It's a shame, given that a few hours had passed, that he could have left after the semi-final for Sunday's match with his club."
