Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma is furious at being left out of the latest Mali squad and has unfollowed the country’s FA on Instagram and deleted all references to playing for country from his account.
The 27-year-old Spurs man was not among the 28-player squad announced by the Malian Football Federation for their March internationals against Mauritania on Friday and Nigeria on March 26. Bissouma struggled for game time at the Africa Cup of Nations under coach Eric Chelle, having suffered from a bout of malaria before the tournament began.
He started just two matches in the competition as Mali exited at the quarter-final stage, following an extra-time defeat to the eventual winners Ivory Coast.
Now Chelle has dropped Bissouma from his latest squad, quoted as explaining to the media after the squad was announced: “Like many players, he deserves to be selected, it’s just a choice. In my diamond there are players right now who are slightly safer. That doesn’t mean he won’t be called again.”
Some reports in Mali have claimed that Bissouma has reacted “furiously” to the decision to drop him from the squad and that he has deleted all references to playing for his country from his Instagram account, as well as claiming that he has unfollowed the Mali Football Federation on the platform.
Bissouma has been a regular when available for Ange Postecoglou this season, making 20 appearances for Spurs, albeit around some on-pitch disciplinary issues which have brought two red cards and seven yellows in total, although only five officially counted as straight red cards were dished out to cancel them out, which has meant in all three periods of suspension and six games missed, not including those he missed while at the Africa Cup of Nations.
