Sunderland and Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra has been ruled out of Sunday’s AFCON final through suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Habib Diarra Banned for AFCON Final
Senegal’s Habib Diarra will miss Sunday’s AFCON final against Morocco through suspension.
The midfielder, who joined Sunderland from Strasbourg in a deal worth £30m last summer, has been slapped with a ban after picking up a second yellow card in the knockout phase.
He was first cautioned in last week’s 1-0 win over Mali in the quarter-finals, and he was shown his second card of the tournament in Thursday night’s 1-0 victory over Egypt in the semi-final.
Diarra was booked for dissent after being involved in a heated confrontation before half-time.
The incident occurred when Pharaohs skipper Mohamed Salah was penalised for a foul on his former Liverpool partner Sadio Mane, sparking a hostile clash between both sets of players.
Salah and Mane tried to calm the situation, but Diarra was booked for his involvement.
Alongside the 22-year-old, Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly is also suspended for the final.
It’s the defender’s second suspension of the tournament, as he missed his side’s 3-1 victory over Sudan in the round of 16 after receiving a red card in the final group game against Benin.
Regardless of his suspension, the former Chelsea star looked set to miss the showpiece match against the Atlas Lions anyway, as he was forced off against Egypt with a groin issue.
As for Morocco, they have no injury or suspension concerns for Sunday’s final in Rabat.
Walid Regragui spoke out against claims of referee bias favouring Morocco earlier this week, something that was once again highlighted after their victory over Nigeria in the semi-finals.
The Atlas Lions and Senegal meet at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium at 19:00 on Sunday.
Diarra To Miss Sunderland vs Crystal Palace
Despite being suspended, Diarra is still set to miss Sunderland vs Crystal Palace on Saturday.
It is expected that the midfielder will be in attendance at the AFCON final to support his country.
Of course, he is set to take part in the post-match trophy ceremony, where he will pick up either a gold or silver medal for his contribution in helping the Lions of Teranga reach the final.
Thus far this term, Diarra has made only five Premier League appearances for the Black Cats.
This is as a result of injury and international duty, but when he has been available to play, he has starred in midfield alongside the ever-impressive duo Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki.
Breaking back into Regis Le Bris’ starting XI could be a tough task upon returning to the Stadium of Light however, with Xhaka, Lutsharel Geertruida and Enzo Le Fee impressing as of late.
Elsewhere, Chemsdine Talbi is unavailable for Sunderland this weekend as he is also involved in the AFCON final. He has made just one appearance for Morocco at the tournament so far.
