Africa Cup of Nation 2023 : some of the world’s best players will compete in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, but not all of the continent’s biggest names will be present for a variety of reasons.
These are the famous African athletes who will not be competing in Ivory Coast.
Thomas Partey (Ghana)
The absence of Thomas Partey of Arsenal, who sustained a thigh injury in October but was unable to fully recover, is a greater setback for Ghana.”Thomas Partey is undoubtedly one of our most crucial players, and I say this without intending to harm our current team.This is something we already know, and he would undoubtedly be in the team notwithstanding his injury,” manager Chris Hughton stated.
Tariq Lamptey (Ghana)
Ghana won’t be without just Partey; Tariq Lamptey of Brighton is another Premier League midfielder who hasn’t fully recovered from an injury. Due to health problems, the 23-year-old has only played in eight games this season.
🚨Our #BlackStars for the AFCON 👊🏾
🤵♂️ Head Coach Chris Hughton has selected 27 players for the upcoming TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d'Ivoire 🇬🇭⚽️ #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/Fr1RTs4UPw
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) January 1, 2024
Fatawu Issahaku (Ghana)
19-year-old Issahaku Fatawu has impressed at Leicester on loan from Sporting CP, getting two goals and seven assists, and in a bid to secure a permanent move to the English club, he’s opted against representing Ghana at AFCON.
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)
Song would have surely called up Premier League star Bryan Mbeumo if he had been available, but the Brentford winger’s ankle injury from December has prevented him from fully recovering, which is a serious setback for his country.
Said Benrahma (Algeria)
West Ham’s Said Benrahma is one of the most high-profile African players in the world these days, but won’t be at the continent’s showpiece competition. The winger isn’t in Algeria’s squad after falling out with manager Djamel Belmadi in October.
Amine Gouiri (Algeria)
After abandoning France at the beginning of the season. Rennes forward Amine Gouiri was anticipated to be one of Algeria’s main players at the tournament. However, the 23-year-old’s injury will prevent him from playing.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Cameroon)
He may play for one of the biggest clubs in the world in the form of Bayern Munich, but Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has been left out of Cameroon’s squad nevertheless. “We all know he is an important player. However, one has to make choices,” said manager Rigobert Song.
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)
Premier League star Bryan Mbeumo undoubtedly would have been called up by Song if available. But in a major blow to his nation, the Brentford winger has yet to recover from an ankle injury that he picked up in December.
Eric Bailly (Ivory Coast)
Eric Baily endured a difficult first half of the season, barely playing at Besiktas. And even a move back to Villarreal at the start of 2024 wasn’t enough for him to get a spot in Ivory Coast’s squad.
Wilfried Zaha (Ivory Coast)
Wilfried Zaha has been an AFCON regular over the years, playing in it 11 times since 2017. But the 31-year-old won’t add to that tally in 2024, being left out of Ivory Coast’s squad this time around having seemingly not impressed enough since joining Galatasaray.
Abdoulaye Doucoure (Mali)
Abdoulaye Doucoure has been playing some of his best football ever since Sean Dyche took over at Everton. He has opted to remain with the Toffees as they bid to avoid relegation rather than represent Mali at AFCON for the first time.
Cheick Doucoure (Mali)
Disaster struck for Mali in November when Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure suffered an ACL injury. And that ruled him out of AFCON and most likely the remainder of the season.
Wilfred Ndidi (Nigeria)
🔈❗️Afcon camp update: Wilfred Ndidi Out; Alhassan Yusuf In. #soarsupereagles #letsdoitagain pic.twitter.com/zFNgxOYe0T
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) January 3, 2024
Nigeria initially included Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi in their final 25-man AFCON squad. But the 27-year-old soon afterwards pulled out of it after suffering an unspecified injury.
Taiwo Awoniyi (Nigeria)
Taiwo Awoniyi has emerged as one of the most exciting African strikers around in recent seasons. Scoring double figures in both the Bundesliga and the Premier League in the past two.
But Nigeria will have to do without him this month with the Nottingham Forest player having to undergo surgery for a groin injury in November.
Sports betting is more and more popular in many African countries
The desire to engage in sports betting in Africa is rapidly growing, and the betting industry has responded by expanding across the continent. Africa is a continent with many countries, cultures, religions, and languages, but the love of sports is widespread throughout the region, and sports betting is a natural extension of that passion.
With a population of approximately 1.4 billion people (with a low age average), recent economic expansion, and the continent’s significant progress in, and love of, major sports such as football (soccer, which has always sparked great interest in Africa), basketball, cricket, rugby, cycling, and athletics, it is not surprising that Africa is an appealing market with a huge potential for growth.
Sports Betting
Melbet ug offers both pre-match and live betting. Football, horse racing, greyhounds, darts, tennis, and cycling are among the popular sports. There are even options for betting on world politics or television shows. Melbet ug has everything you could possibly want to bet on.
