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| Alex Livesey/Getty Images Joël Matip appears to have taken himself out of contention to represent Cameroon this January in the African Cup of Nations. |
Hugo
Broos, manager for Cameroon, claims that Liverpool defender Joël Matip
has repeatedly refused to represent Cameroon. The Indomitable Lions have
qualified to play in the 2017 African Cup of Nations, but Matip appears
to want no part of it. In fact, the 25-year-old has turned down the
opportunity to play for his country for the past year, including not
answering messages left by the manager regarding the team’s two
friendlies against Gabon and Gambia over this international break.
Regarding
the situation, Broos said, “There are players who never wanted to come
and play these games. They have their reasons but it also shows that if
these people are not there it’s a good thing. It means they do not have
the necessary will.
“I
refer in particular to the Matip brothers. For Joël, I called him 15
times and I even sent him messages but he never responded. Marvin
preferred to stay with his club. The ball is in their court. If they
want to come play with Cameroon they should call me and say: ‘I am
ready’.”
The
inconvenient scheduling of the African Cup of Nations surely plays a
major part in the reluctance by players to join their home nations.
Coming as it does in January and February — a hectic and important time
in the club season calendar — means missing key games, including the
knockout rounds of cup competitions.
This
confirmation from Broos that Matip intends to forego AFCoN sheds new
light on Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp’s decision to force center-back
Mamadou Sakho out on loan. A major criticism of this decision was how
short this could potentially make the team’s defense in that busy winter
period without Matip available. However, if the player is refusing to
represent his country, then Klopp has his services throughout that time
after all, barring injury or suspension.
This still won’t justify shipping out Sakho for some fans, but it will provide some relief if and when Sakho leaves.
Source: http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/
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