El Hadji Diouf: Joël Matip Will Regret Missing AFCON

Cameroon beat Egypt 1-0 on Sunday to win the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Joël Matip wasn’t there, of course, because he’d spent the previous day losing to Hull. El Hadji Diouf, the former striker for Senegal and Liverpool, had a lot to say about Matip’s decision to put club over country.

“Like the legend Bob Marley always said 'if you don't know where you come from, you don't know where to go'.” Diouf told the BBC World Service. “Definitely they'll regret not playing in the Cup of Nations. After your career, what are you going to do? Stay living in Europe? To do what?”

Eight Cameroonian players refused call-ups this year, with Matip specifically citing a ‘bad experience’ with previous coaching staff as his reason for doing so. And things haven’t gone so well for him or for Liverpool since.

The internet has spent a large part of today delicately pointing out Matip’s folly.

Here’s hoping that this is the impetus Liverpool needs to win a game, for a change.