Algeria’s preparations for Africa Cup of Nations glory have suffered a major setback with the news that star attacker Amine Gouiri has been ruled out of the tournament through injury in a significant blow to the Desert Foxes.
The Algerian football federation confirmed on Monday that Gouiri, along with defender Abdelkader Bedrane, will play no part in Algeria’s campaign to defend their continental crown next month in Ivory Coast.
Gouiri had been expected to lead the line and spearhead Algeria’s forward line at AFCON 2023 after declaring his switch of national allegiance from France earlier this year.
But after close examination by Algeria’s medical staff and cross-referencing with the 23-year old’s assessment at club side Rennes, the heartbreaking decision has been made to release Gouiri back to France.
According to officials, the assessment was that Gouiri’s undisclosed injury requires careful rehabilitation and recovery rather than subjecting the forward to the intense demands of major tournament football from the outset.
It marks a devastating individual blow for Gouiri as he is robbed of the chance to represent the country of his parents’ birth on Africa’s biggest stage this summer.
For Algeria boss Djamel Belmadi, it also tears up established plans to integrate Gouiri’s direct, silky attacking talents into the Desert Fox reigning champions’ forward line in their quest to clinch back-to-back AFCON titles.
While Gouiri focuses on regaining full fitness, Algeria must find solutions from within their remaining squad to fuel hopes of continental dominance being retained by the north Africans.
