UNDER PRESSURE: EMERSE FAE EXPLAINS SHOCK AFCON SNUBS AMIDST TITLE DEFENCE GOALS
Emerse Fae defended his shock AFCON squad selections, stating Nicolas Pepe's omission was due to "many factors, both on and off the field," despite his strong La Liga form.
Coach Emerse Fae has been defending some of his squad choices as Ivory Coast tries to do what Egypt did 15 years ago: win back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) titles.
Since Egypt's win over Ghana in 2010, there have been eight AFCON tournaments with seven different champs.
The one exception? Ivory Coast, who won in 2015 after a penalty shootout against Ghana. They also won last year, beating Nigeria at home.
The Elephants, who first won AFCON in 1992, kick off their title defense against Mozambique on December 24 in Group F. Then, they'll go up against five-time champions Cameroon and Gabon.
All group winners and runners-up will move on to the round of 16 in Morocco, plus the four best third-place teams.
It's hard to believe Ivory Coast won't make it to the knockout stage, and Fae seems positive, even with some criticism about his selections.
The biggest complaints from the media? Leaving out Villarreal forward Nicolas Pepe and Sunderland winger Simon Adingra.
Fae, a former Ivory Coast midfielder, said that if it was just about sports, Pepe would be with them.
He said that making the list means looking at a lot of things, both on and off the field, and that's why Nico didn't make the cut.
Fae didn't say what those reasons were for leaving out Pepe, even though he's been doing well in La Liga and even won a player of the month award.
As for Adingra, Fae said that Simon is having a hard time getting a starting spot at Sunderland, so they had to make the selection without him.
Former Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha is back after three years, thanks to his performance for Charlotte in Major League Soccer.
Fae said his ability to beat defenders and his current form helped him get back on the team. He's scored 10 goals and created six more this season.
Fae added that Ivory Coast can use his experience and ability to create chances for his teammates.
Fae became a hero in Ivory Coast after the team bounced back from a bad start in 2024 to beat Senegal, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria to win the AFCON trophy.
He started as an assistant to Jean-Louis Gasset but took over when the coach was fired after losses to Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.
They barely made it to the knockout stage and became the first team to lose twice and still win AFCON.
Despite the drama, Cameroon is probably Ivory Coast's biggest threat in Group F. Gabon's defense isn't great, and Mozambique has never won an AFCON match.
Samuel Eto'o, the re-elected president of Cameroon's football federation, sacked Belgian coach Marc Brys after the team didn't qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
They had been fighting since the government picked Brys, a decision usually made by football officials.
David Pagou, who has coached local clubs, took over, and his squad announcement had some surprises: Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana (currently on loan at Trabzonspor) and veteran forward Vincent Aboubakar were left out.
Pagou said they wanted to do things differently. They're good players, but they chose others to create a different vibe.
Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is calling the group the group of death, saying that if you make it through, you can win AFCON.
If 42-year-old Mozambique midfielder Elias 'Domingues' Pelembe plays, he'll be the second-oldest player to compete at AFCON, after Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.
El Hadary was 44 when he played in the 2017 final, which Cameroon won.
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
