Joel Matip‘s decision to opt out of January’s Africa Cup of Nations could see the Liverpool centre-back face FIFA suspension. The 25-year-old chose not to link up with Hugo Broos’ squad for the tournament in Gabon, despite the manager’s best attempts to convince him to change his mind. Matip has not turned out for Cameroon since mid-2015, and has not been a regular feature since a year previous, though he is not the only one unavailable to Broos in January. This leaves Broos and the Cameroon FA, Fecafoot, with a significantly weaker selection, and in a statement released on Tuesday, they suggested they could “take action” against those to opt out. “These players have put personal interest above those of the national team,” Broos said. “And the federation reserves the right to take action against the players in accordance with FIFA regulations.” Article continues below According to BBC Sport, this could see Fecafoot seek a suspension for Matip and the rest of the group for the duration of the tournament. This is something of a farfetched resolution, with there no doubt being considerable red tape in any decision to suspend those who do not wish to take part in the AFCON. That Matip has long kept himself out of the Cameroon squad should set a precedent, with the defender also missing the tournament in 2015. Matip can also cite fitness concerns, as he is currently sidelined with an ankle injury that has already recurred three times this season, following minor surgery in the summer. Liverpool would likely take exception to Matip departing for Gabon if he is not fully fit, given his key status within Jurgen Klopp‘s squad. Furthermore, while it may be a drastic conclusion, Matip could also, in theory, retire from duty. Klopp is already due to be without Sadio Mane for the tournament, with the 24-year-old’s last game before joining up with the Senegal squad to come against Sunderland on January 2. Mane will miss at least seven games, including both legs of the League Cup semi-final against former club Southampton, and Premier League clashes with Manchester United and Chelsea. Being without Mane is a big enough blow to Klopp, but suspension for Matip for the same period would be hugely frustrating.
I would have thought that it'd be upto the individual if he wanted to play for his country or not. Surely you can't force a player to. How many games was big Dunc suspended for when he told Scotland to **** off? Same eggs surely?
Several players are refusing to go, they going to ban them all? Cant Matip just retire and then come out of retirement if issues get sorted with Cameroon?
I wonder if Matip played in the qualifying round of Africa Cup of Nations??. They cannot take his right from him
The Cameroon Football Federation have confirmed that Liverpool defender Joel Matip won’t take part in next month’s Africa Cup of Nations. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/spor...l-defender-matip-criticised-cameroon-12347767
If Cameroon tried this, surely he'd just retire and never play for them again. Not a great outcome for Cameroon is it?
If a player doesn't want to play internationals you can't force them to and you shouldn't be able to punish them. It's a personal decision and the punishment is already incurred in that they potentially miss out on winning a major international competition and honour with their country
The rule as been there for years. Players can't pick and choose when they want to play. If he doesn't want to play then he should retire, Cameroon are powerless then. By not retiring, he's leaving his options open to return should they make it to a world cup. PS...Ironically, he could officially retire before having a change of heat later in laugh; aka Jamie Carragher!
