Former Gunner Nicolas Pepe has been excluded from the Ivory Coast squad for the upcoming AFCON tournament, with his coach hinting at off-field issues involving the player.
When the Ivory Coast announced their AFCON squad in recent days, former Arsenal club-record signing Nicolas Pepe was a somewhat surprising absentee.
Pepe has made 50 appearances for his country over the years, and he’s played regularly for Villarreal this season, so the expectation was that he’d be included.
When questioned about the decision, Ivory Coast boss Emerse Fae admitted it wasn’t for sporting reasons.
“If we were to consider only the sporting aspect, he (Pepe) would be with us,” Fae said.
“To make a list you have to take into account many factors, both on and off the field. All these factors have led to Nico not being on the list.”
The coach didn’t explain what those factors are, but there have been a couple of reasons why the 30-year-old has been in the headlines recently for reasons other than football.
With AFCON being hosted in Morocco this year, Pepe recently made a rather foolish decision to go on a podcast and mock the host nation.
“We have three [tournament wins] and you (Algeria) only have two,” Pepe began.
“But watch out for the Moroccans, they’re here. How many stars do they have? One? They must have won that in 1818, we weren’t even born yet, not even my dad was born.”
Making fun of the host nation just before the tournament would undoubtedly have led to a lot of scrutiny on Pepe at the event itself, which is perhaps why Fae decided it wasn’t worth the distraction of including the winger.
There have also been suggestions that Pepe’s relationship with former adult film star Keanna Nichele Jones (better known as Teanna Trump) could have contributed, but there’s no proof of that.
Regardless of the reasoning, Pepe was evidently disappointed by the decision to leave him out, writing on Instagram: “Double Trouble for me. This is football, this is life.
“Thanks to La Liga, to my club, and to all those who have supported me after the last few days of bullying and racism. Good luck to my teammates.”