Mahdi Camara (ASSE) says no to Gambia
The Gambia coach, Tom Saintfiet, communicated his list of 28 players for CAN 2021. Approached, Stéphane midfielder Mahdi Camara declined.
The Gambia hoped to obtain the reinforcement of Stéphanois Mahdi Camara in view of CAN 2021. This will not be the case. Pre-selected, AS Saint-Etienne’s defensive midfielder declined the offer from the country of his ancestors (as well as the Franco-Comorian Zaydou Youssouf), to the satisfaction of his trainer Pascal Dupraz.
“There are boys who we did not need to ask and who remain, who were selectable and who decided to stay at AS Saint-Etienne to get the club out of the rut. That does not mean that those who go to CAN are lost for good. It’s a choice. (Mahdi) Camara, he’s been in discussion with management for several weeks, he told us he preferred to stay with his club rather than be selected. It is for this reason that he is not called. It’s a very good attitude, it shows that there are boys who want to fight for this club, who have not lost hope of seeing him stay in Ligue 1, ”said the one. who succeeded Claude Puel at the helm of ASSE.
The 28 Scorpios:
Saintfiet announced his final 28-man squad for the AFCON. The team will now leave for Qatar for a pre-tournament camp that begins next week. Matches Algeria and Syria on 1st and 5th January respectively in Doha. The Scorpions will then fly to Cameroon on 7th January, 2022. pic.twitter.com/85cytgC0Wc
– Official GFF 🇬🇲 (@TheGambiaFF) December 21, 2021
As a reminder, The Gambia is housed in group F along with Mali, Tunisia and Mauritania, whom she will meet on January 12 during the first day.