Nottingham Forest player Cheikhou Kouyaté has been authorised to leave the Senegal squad during the Africa Cup of Nations following the death of his father.
This is according to the Senegal national team, who released a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, to explain the situation to fans.
The news came the day after Senegal’s opening victory against The Gambia, for which the Nottingham Forest midfielder was in the squad but remained on the bench.
At 34 years of age, the former Crystal Palace man has been brought into the squad as help for the midfield and to help the younger generation with his experience.
He will, however, leave the squad to attend his father’s funeral in Dakar, and there is currently no indication as to whether he will return to the international competition afterwards.
He has previously played for West Ham, Anderlecht, KV Kortrijk and FC Brüssel in Europe, having started his career at ASC Yeggo in his home country.
Notre joueur Cheikhou KOUYATÉ a été autorisé à quitter le regroupement de l’Equipe nationale, pour se rendre aux funérailles de son père qui a rendu l’âme ce jour à Dakar. Paix à son âme 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/4cPMyi9a0v
— Equipe du Sénégal (@GaindeYi) January 16, 2024
