Jadon Sancho’s Man United first team exile could violate FIFA rules | OneFootball

Erik ten Hag’s decision to make Jadon Sancho train alone could constitute a violation of FIFA rules, according to ESPN.

Sancho has been banished from first team activities, including the canteen, and forced to train in isolation until he apologises to Ten Hag for comments made on X (formerly twitter) recently.

Ten Hag had been asked at a press conference why Sancho had not been included in the matchday squad to face Arsenal and replied that he had not performed well in training.

This prompted Sancho to post a response accusing the manager of lying and making him a scapegoat.

As a disciplinary measure, Sancho was then removed from squad training, an action that could breach FIFA laws, according to ESPN.

“Under FIFA regulations, asking a player to train on their own may result in the club being found to have engaged in ‘abusive conduct,’ and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) are aware there are UK employment law arguments to suggest the treatment is not lawful,” the outlet says.

“A source told ESPN that the PFA have stressed that United are bound to provide a high level of training and physical fitness for Sancho, but the club believe they have met the standard by assigning dedicated coaches to work with the forward.”

ESPN further claims that Ten Hag has the “full backing of the club, including from chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough, and that the legal implications have been considered.”

Sancho is training on academy pitches away from the first team training area.

There was some hope that the situation might be thawing when Sancho took his Instagram account down this week.

However, Ten Hag remained tight-lipped about it when asked after United’s 30 victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

With Antony also unavailable due to off-pitch complications, the Sancho saga could not have come at a worse time for United and with no end in sight, it is looking increasingly as if the England man may have played his last game for the club.