Zacharie Boucher dropped from Madagascar squad after old comments resurface

Zacharie Boucher has been withdrawn from Madagascar’s squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after comments he made in 2018 resurfaced.

The 34-year-old goalkeeper had only recently been announced as a new international recruit for the Barea and was due to make his first appearance with the national team.

However, the Malagasy Football Federation (FMF) has now decided not to include Boucher in the squad for the upcoming training camp.

The decision follows the renewed attention on remarks made by the goalkeeper in an interview with Ouest-France in 2018.

At the time, Boucher said: “I am French, I have never been Malagasy ,” while also making it clear that he did not want to represent the Malagasy national team.

Those comments have since resurfaced after Boucher agreed to play for Madagascar and received his first international call-up.

The development has generated a number of reactions, leading to discussions between the different parties involved.

The FMF said that, following a meeting and discussions with the various parties, it had decided that Boucher would not remain with the group.

His withdrawal comes only days after his inclusion in the Madagascar squad had been announced.

Boucher will now miss the beginning of Madagascar’s campaign in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.

The Barea are scheduled to travel to Nigeria for their first match before returning home to face Tanzania.

The goalkeeper’s removal means he will not be available for either of those fixtures as Madagascar begin their qualifying campaign.

The situation represents a sudden change for Boucher, who had been expected to start a new chapter with Madagascar after agreeing to represent the country.

His initial call-up had been presented as an opportunity for the goalkeeper to join the national team, but the resurfaced comments from 2018 have changed those plans.

The FMF’s decision followed its discussions with the parties concerned and means Boucher will no longer be part of the group preparing for the qualifiers.

Madagascar will therefore have to continue preparations for the matches against Nigeria and Tanzania without the Troyes goalkeeper.

For Boucher, the decision comes just days after he was selected for the first time by Madagascar and before he could make his international debut.