Côte d'Ivoire: Nicolas Pépé reacts to his omission from the national team squad | OneFootball

Nicolas Pépé

Nicolas Pépé wasted no time in issuing a sharp response to his omission from Côte d'Ivoire's squad for AFCON 2025.

On Tuesday, Emerse Faé unveiled his list of players selected for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. One of the most striking takeaways from this call-up is the absence of Nicolas Pépé. Long regarded as a key attacking asset for the Elephants, the former Lille star is not part of Faé's plans for this edition. This decision comes as a surprise, especially given Pépé's wealth of experience and his consistent performances in previous tournaments.

On social media, the Pépé family quickly reacted. In an Instagram story, Villarreal winger's brother Jonathan Pépé commented: "Maybe I'm dreaming, maybe I didn't see Faé's list correctly." His sister Corinne also responded. With increased competition up front, Faé appears to be banking on players in top form who can bring more dynamism to the squad.

Pépé's absence, combined with that of Simon Adingra, signals a major shift in the attacking hierarchy of the Ivorian national team.