Issa Cissokho Left Out of Senegal Squad, Blames Media for CAN 2015 Snub
Like Demba Ba, Issa Cissokho has found himself excluded from Alain Giresse’s preliminary list for Senegal’s training camp ahead of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
The FC Nantes defender expressed his disappointment in an interview with Senegalese outlet Wiwsports, especially after being involved in the team’s first four qualifying matches.
“I played in the first four playoff matches before being dropped from the team,” said Cissokho. “Three days ago, the coach criticized me for comments I allegedly made in the African press. Except that these are statements I never made. I called him to explain, but clearly, it didn’t change his mind.”
The 29-year-old strongly believes misrepresentation by the media played a role in his exclusion. Cissokho was particularly critical of journalists, accusing them of distorting his words and vowing to no longer respond to their questions.
“Their journalists distort everything,” he said. “It’s a big international event. I really wanted to defend my country’s colours, especially in a group where we had to face Ghana, Algeria and South Africa.”
Unless there is an unexpected turn of events, Issa Cissokho will not be part of the Lions of Teranga as they compete in one of the toughest groups of the tournament.
