André Onana may be BANNED from playing for Man United under FIFA ruling

André Onana may be banned from playing for Manchester United due to a FIFA ruling if he rejects a call-up for AFCON.

André Onana‘s time at Manchester United has brought mixed reviews, with some fantastic performances being dotted with a series of mistakes, most notably in the Champions League.

Onana made two errors that led to goals when United drew 3-3 with Galatasaray on Wednesday evening, and reports claim Onana is now reconsidering the possibility of playing for Cameroon at the upcoming AFCON tournament in January out of fears that he will lose his place under Erik ten Hag.

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Altay Bayındır is yet to play a minute for his new club, but some United fans are calling for him to be given a chance in place of the £45 million summer signing.

However, if Onana does reject the chance to represent Cameroon at AFCON after he is called up for his country, FIFA regulations may prohibit the goalkeeper from playing for United during AFCON regardless of his decision.

As reported by The Sun, FIFA’s regulations state: “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… plus an additional period of five days.”

This would mean that if Onana rejects his call-up, Cameroon would have to give both the player and the club special dispensation for him to continue playing at Old Trafford for the duration of Cameroon’s time in the competition.

If Cameroon enjoy a successful tournament in the Ivory Coast, Onana would miss up to six games between 13 January and 11 February 2024, including Premier League fixtures against Tottenham, Wolves, West Ham, and Aston Villa.