Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram and Monaco defender Axel Disasi were called up to play the World Cup with France, the French federation (FFF) said on Monday.
The 25-year-old Thuram, son of 1998 France World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, is the 26th player who will make the trip to Qatar. Present coach Didier Deschamps was the captain of the side which beat Brazil 3-0 in the final.
Disasi made the squad after Paris St Germain centre-back Presnel Kimpembe ruled himself out because of a hamstring injury, the FFF said. The FFF announced in a statement on their website that Kimpembe doesn’t consider himself sufficiently fit for the tournament.
Axel Disasi. File picture
“Presnel Kimpembe will not participate in the World Cup. The Paris-SG defender does not consider himself sufficiently recovered to be able to hold his place in the defense of the Blues in Qatar.
“The decision was taken this Monday morning, in Clairefontaine, after an exchange between the player and the doctor of the French team, Dr Franck Le Gall, then between the player and Didier Deschamps,” the statement said.
Placed in Group D along with Australia Denmark and Tunisia, France will be looking to retain their title in Qatar.
Dope taint
Saudi Arabia winger Fahad al-Mowallad was pulled from the squad less than 48 hours after being selected because of an ongoing doping case.
The Saudis’ coach, Herve Renard, replaced al-Mowallad from his 26-man squad for the tournament in Qatar “as a precaution,” the team said on its Twitter account.
The Saudi Arabian Anti-Doping Committee said in May it suspended the player for 18 months over his positive test in February for the doping substance furosemide.
It is a diuretic that has a long-established use in sports doping as a masking agent to hide the presence of other drugs. Saudi media reports said the 28-year-old al-Mowallad’s ban had been cut which cleared him for selection to play in Qatar, in what would have been his second World Cup.
The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed it had intervened in the case before the Saudi squad was selected.
Al-Mowallad’s removal came just nine days before the team opens in Group C against Argentina. Saudi Arabia then play Poland on November 26 and Mexico on November 30. The team said that Renard had called up Nawaf Al-Abed, a club teammate of al-Mowallad at Al-Shabab, in his place.
Ghana surprise
Kamal Sowah’s form for Club Brugge in the Champions League has won him a call-up for Ghana after the uncapped striker was on Monday included in the country’s squad.
The 22-year-old was a surprise selection as coach Otto Addo named his 26-man squad, where the Black Stars face Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay in Group H.
There was also a first callup for midfielder Salis Abdul Samed, 22, who has been a regular for Racing Lens this season.
Former Spain international Inaki Williams and England under-21 international Tariq Lamptey, who threw in their lot with Ghana two months ago, were both included.
Written with inputs from Reuters, AP/PTI
