The lists of teams participating in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire have been struck by numerous absences, both tactical and involuntary, which could impact their performance in the upcoming tournament.
Following the announcement of the squads for the Africa Cup of Nations 2023, several notable absences have emerged, potentially affecting the teams in the forthcoming AFCON.
Egypt’s squad witnessed significant omissions, notably Yasser Ibrahim from Al Ahly, Zamalek’s goalkeeper Mohamed Awad, and the Pyramids FC duo Abdullah El Said and Ramadan Sobhi.
Ivory Coast’s AFCON 2023 squad faced a fiery quartet of absences, including Wilfried Zaha from Galatasaray, Eric Bailly from Besiktas, Sebastian Haller from Borussia Dortmund, and Siko Fofana from Al Nassr.
The Tunisian team’s list also experienced the absence of the Zamalek pair Hamza Mathlouthi and Saif Eldin Al Jaziri, along with Manchester United’s Hannibal Mejbri.
As for the Moroccan squad, Walid El Karti from Pyramids FC was omitted for tactical reasons, while the injury kept Rida Slim, the winger from Al Ahly, away from the AFCON.
Senegal’s team will miss Bayern Munich’s Bouna Sarr due to a cruciate ligament injury.
Cameroon, which included Manchester United’s goalkeeper André Onana in its lineup, decided to exclude Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting from Bayern Munich.
Ghana’s squad, in the same group as Egypt in the AFCON, faced the unavailability of Arsenal’s Thomas Partey due to his lack of match fitness.
Algeria’s coach, Djamel Belmadi, excluded Yacine Brahimi and Said Benrahma, while Amin Gouiri withdrew due to injury.
The AFCON 2023 groups are as follows:
Group A: Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast (host), Nigeria.
Group B: Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Mozambique.
Group C: Cameroon, Gambia, Guinea, Senegal.
Group D: Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Mauritania.
Group E: Mali, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia.
Group F: Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Tanzania, Zambia.
The anticipation for AFCON 2023 intensifies as teams grapple with strategic choices and unavoidable setbacks, setting the stage for an electrifying tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.
