Marseille prospect Elies Diallo chooses France after turning down Algeria U17 call-up

Elies Diallo, the 16-year-old Olympique de Marseille academy winger, has been selected by France for an upcoming U17 training camp and two friendly matches against Finland, after declining an invitation from Algeria for their U17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tournament.

The French Football Federation (FFF) announced Johan Radet’s squad on Monday ahead of the return of the national-team programme. Diallo is included in the France U17 group for the camp and the double-header against Finland.

Primarily a right winger, Diallo can also play as a centre-forward and is regarded as one of the leading prospects in his position at the OM training centre.

His decision is significant in Algeria, where he had attracted considerable interest from the national team. Diallo turned down a request from Algeria manager Karim Zianipour to take part in the Union nord-africaine de football tournament, which will be held in Tunisia from 26 September to 2 October and serves as a qualifier for next year’s CAN U17 in Morocco.

However, his selection for France does not represent a final decision on which country he will choose for his senior international career.

Diallo has clear ties to Algeria. He spent his holiday in Oran in July and has already attended several training camps with Algeria’s U16 side. His latest France call-up therefore does not rule out a future decision in favour of the Algerian national team.

Algeria will begin its CAN U17 qualifying campaign against Libya on 26 September at the Mustafa Ben Jannet Stadium in Monastir. The team will then face hosts Tunisia on 29 September at the Olympic Stadium in Sousse.

Their final match will be against Egypt on 2 October, with the game returning to the Mustafa Ben Jannet Stadium in Monastir.

The qualifying tournament will involve U16 players, rather than Algeria’s U17 team. The U17 side is instead preparing for the World Cup in Qatar, which will take place from 19 November to 13 December.

Diallo’s involvement with France at this stage remains part of his development at youth level. His choice to join the French camp means he will represent France in the immediate future, following his decision not to take part in Algeria’s qualifying campaign.