Villarreal’s Nicolas Pepe has been left out of Ivory Coast’s AFCON squad despite being a key player for club and country.
Pepe won the last AFCON with his nation, but coach Emerse Faé announced his 2025 squad without the forward.
“Sanction, that’s a bit strong,” Faé said at a press conference.
“He did make an appearance in recent days… What I can tell you is that it’s not a sporting sanction. If we were only looking at the sporting aspect, he would obviously have been on the list.
“To make a list, you have to take into account many factors, both on and off the pitch.
“All these factors combined have led to Nico not being on the list, but it’s absolutely not a sporting sanction.”
Pepe had earlier caused uproar with comments mocking Morocco’s chances at their home tournament.
“We have three stars and you (Algeria) only have two,” he said on a podcast, referring to tournament wins.
“But watch out for the Moroccans, they’re here. How many stars do they have? One? They must have won that in 1818, we weren’t even born yet, not even my dad was born.”
Pepe received a barrage of criticism online, while his relationship with a porn star has also come under focus.
Responding to his non-call-up, Pepe wrote on Instagram: “Double Trouble for me. This is football, this is life.
“Thanks to @laliga, to my @villarrealcf club and to all those who have supported me after the last few days of bullying and racism. Good luck to my teammates.”
Leave a Reply