How can FIFA ban him from playing in the Premier League, I'm confused???
In reality, they probably can't. Matip missed last year's AFCON and stayed with Schalke, so there's a precedent there that works in our favour. It'd be a bureaucratic nightmare for Fifa to enforce, but it does look like the Cameroon FA will make a complaint to FIFA, which they are well within their rights to do in accordance with FIFA's rules on Status and Transfers.
http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/administration/01/27/64/30/regulationsstatusandtransfer2010_e.pdfThe important bits are on page 34, 3.1 which states:
"As a general rule, every player registered with a club is obliged to respond affirmatively when called up by the association he is eligible to represent on the basis of his nationality to play for one of its representative teams"
And page 35, 5 - Restrictions on Playing:
"A player who has been called up by his association for one of its representative teams is, unless otherwise agreed by the relevant association, not entitled to play for the club with which he is registered during the period for which he has been released or should have been released pursuant to the provisions of this annexe. This restriction on playing for the club shall, moreover, be prolonged by five days in the event that the player, for whatsoever reason, did not wish to or was unable to comply with the call-up".
With that all said, as far as I'm aware there has never been a player banned for not representing his country when called up, so the precedent is all there for Matip to do what he wants. Just goes to show what a joke FIFA and it's "rules" are!
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