Manchester United is reasonably confident that their actions regarding Jadon Sancho, who has been excluded from the first-team squad, have not violated any FIFA regulations. The club continues to await an apology from the player. Manchester United is confident that their decision to have Jadon Sancho train separately from the first-team, following his disagreement with Erik ten Hag, is in compliance with FIFA regulations.
Sancho has been separated from the first-team squad and instructed to train independently with the club’s fitness staff after publicly contradicting Ten Hag on social media. Additionally, Sancho has been denied access to all first-team facilities, including the locker room and cafeteria, and has been required to dine in isolation at the club’s training facility. According to FIFA regulations, a club that instructs a player to train alone could potentially be considered to have engaged in “abusive conduct,” with the implication that such treatment may conflict with employment laws.
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has offered to mediate in the ongoing dispute between Sancho and Ten Hag, with the union supporting the 23-year-old in this matter.
Manchester United is obligated to provide Sancho with an appropriate standard of training and physical conditioning, and they are confident they have met this standard despite his solitary training sessions. Instead of leaving Sancho to train independently, the club has assigned dedicated fitness coaches to work with him, ensuring that the quality of training he receives meets the required standards. Sancho will remain separated from his first-team colleagues until he apologizes to Ten Hag for publicly challenging the manager’s authority and undermining his position through his social media post.
Following United’s 3-1 loss to Arsenal earlier this month, Ten Hag stated that Sancho was omitted from the squad due to subpar training performances, a claim disputed by the player online. The United hierarchy, including chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough, fully support Ten Hag’s treatment of Sancho.
Sancho is training on academy pitches located away from the main building at Carrington. He uses the same building for changing and has been instructed to lock the door while doing so to comply with safeguarding standards, as the facility is also used by Under-18s.