Player who accused coach of stealing jersey excluded from AFCON squad

Guinea’s preparations for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) have been marred by controversy as Portugal-based midfielder Morlaye Sylla finds himself excluded from the squad.

The rift and exclusion reportedly stems from an altercation with head coach Kaba Diawara over a shirt swap that took place with Brazil star Vinicius Junior.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, Sylla’s omission from the Syli National squad comes after a series of events following Guinea’s 4-1 loss to Brazil in a friendly game in June.

The 25-year-old FC Arouca of Portugal midfielder exchanged shirts with Vinicius Junior after the match, but the shirt went missing in the dressing room under mysterious circumstances.

Following the disappearance of the shirt, tensions escalated as Sylla reportedly engaged in arguments with teammates and accused the head coach, Diawara, of stealing his jersey.

The situation intensified when Sylla insisted on a thorough search of the entire dressing room, leading to further discord within the team.

As a consequence of these events, Morlaye Sylla, capped 23 times, has paid a high price, being left out of Guinea’s squad for the 2023 AFCON tournament.

Guinea is set to kick off their campaign against Cameroon on January 15, followed by matches against Gambia and reigning champions Senegal.

The incident adds an unfortunate chapter to Guinea’s AFCON preparations, with Sylla’s exclusion highlighting the challenges faced by the team as they aim for success in the continental competition.

Guinea’s best AFCON performance dates back to the 1976 edition in Ethiopia, where they finished as runners-up .