Côte d’Ivoire: Oumar Diakité, the most controversial omission from Hervé Renard’s squad

Hervé Renard left Oumar Diakité out of Côte d’Ivoire’s squad for its two matches against Gambia on November 12 and 17 in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The striker’s second consecutive omission has drawn criticism from fans, despite his 10 goals and four assists in 11 games for Sturm Graz, where he is on loan from Reims. Renard said he preferred Ange-Yoan Bonny and Elye Wahi, noting that performances in leagues of different levels are not directly comparable. Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia are joint leaders of Group C after winning their opening two matches.