Nicolas Pépé leaves the Elephants’ camp: what is the reason?

The Ivorian striker will not be taking part in the international friendly between Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon, scheduled for this Saturday, 3 October, at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium in Abidjan.

The Ivorian Football Federation announced on Saturday that Nicolas Pépé had been given permission to leave the squad. The Villarreal striker was granted exceptional leave by head coach Hervé Renard following the match against Somalia, which counted towards matchday two of qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

This decision is due to the player’s family circumstances. As his wife is about to give birth, Nicolas Pépé has been allowed to return to his family.

The Ivorian international will therefore not be joining the Elephants on the pitch at Ebimpe to face Cameroon this Saturday, 3 October, in an international friendly. Hervé Renard will thus have to manage without Nicolas Pépé for this high-profile fixture in Abidjan.

The Ivorian striker has featured in the first two matchdays of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with Côte d’Ivoire. He played against Ghana (2–0) and Somalia (2–0).