Sebastien Desabre, the head coach of the Democratic Republic of Congo national team, faces the absence of Dylan Batubinsika in the opening match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations set to be held in Ivory Coast.
The Congo Football Federation announced, via its official Twitter account, the loss of contributions from the player of the French team Saint-Etienne due to accumulated yellow cards during the qualifying matches for the tournament.
[ＡＮＮＯＮＣＥ ]
ℹ️ Pour accumulation des cartons jaunes lors des matchs des éliminatoires de la CAN 2023, notre défenseur central DYLAN BATUBINSIKA ne prendra pas part à notre première rencontre contre la Zambie le 17 janvier prochain.#𝙵𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚏𝚊𝚁𝙳𝙲 pic.twitter.com/6ittPHchOG
— Fecofa RDC_Officiel (@FecofaRdc) January 11, 2024
The Democratic Republic of Congo is scheduled to play its first match in the tournament against Zambia on January 17, next Wednesday.
Placed in Group C alongside Morocco, Tanzania, and Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo anticipates a challenging journey in the prestigious tournament.
Sebastien Desabre previously coached Ismaily in the Egyptian league during the 2017-2018 season, remaining with the team from July 2017 to December of the same year.
This period marked one of his notable experiences in Egyptian football.
In addition to his tenure with Ismaily, the French head coach also led Pyramids FC during the 2019-2020 season, remaining in charge from July 2019 to December of the same year.
Desabre concluded the preparations for his team’s participation in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a friendly match against Burkina Faso, ending in a 2-1 defeat in a game held in the United Arab Emirates.
The friendly aimed to fine-tune the team’s readiness for the upcoming continental tournament.
