Erling Haaland is reportedly "banned" from playing in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final for Manchester City – here is why.
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According to Sky Sports, the 23-year-old will not be available for the Citizens for the tournament's final after he was not named in the team's matchday squad for their semi-final, a 3-0 win over Urawa Red Diamonds in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night.
He, along with Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku, will not be allowed to play any part in the final as competition rules state "that the 23 players selected in the semi-final are the only players allowed to feature in the final".
Haaland has missed City's last four matches across all platforms after suffering a stress fracture earlier this month.
Legendary forwards have competed in the Club World Cup over the years, a tournament in which Cristiano Ronaldo is the record goalscorer with seven strikes in eight appearances.
Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale follow their former teammate with six goals in the competition, while Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez each netted in it on five occasions.
The Citizens will take on Fluminense in the final on Friday night to stand a chance of winning $5 million (R91.5 million) in prize money.
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Urawa Red Diamonds, meanwhile, will go up against Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the third-place play-off earlier that same day.
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