Premier League clubs were forced to release their Africa Cup of Nations representatives by December 15 but national teams are have been able to make late changes
Aston Villa have been dealt an unexpected blow with Evann Guessand handed a last-minute call-up for the Africa Cup of Nations. The Ivorian international wasn’t part of his country’s initial squad for the tournament but has been promoted from the reserve list following an injury to striker Sebastien Haller.
Guessand was allowed to remain at Villa Park while other Premier League clubs were forced to wave goodbye to their AFCON representatives by December 15. Several of those players are part of Emerse Fae’s Cote d’Ivoire squad, with Nottingham Forest pair Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare, Manchester United star Amad and Wolves centre-back Emmanuel Agbadou all in part of the group.
That left Fae with some high-profile absentees, including Guessand and Sunderland winger Simon Adingra. However, tournament rules allow changes to be made up to 24 hours before a team’s opener in case of injury, and Guessand replaced Haller less than 24 hours after playing in Villa’s Sunday afternoon victory over Manchester United.
“A player on the final list cannot be replaced unless seriously injured at the latest twenty-four hours (24) at least before the beginning of the first match of his team,” the African Football Confederation (CAF) explained in its tournament rules. “The CAF medical Committee must approve his substitution in writing, after reception and approval of a detailed medical certificate.
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“CAF medical Committee shall write a certificate attesting that the wound is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from participating at the Africa Cup of Nations and will submit this certificate to the organizing Committee for approval. Once the certificate is approved, the association should then immediately appoint a substitute immediately and inform CAF General Secretariat accordingly. CAF General Secretariat shall publish the final list of twenty-three (23) players.”
Cote d’Ivoire are the reigning AFCON champions, having won on home soil last time out. Guessand was also in the provisional squad for that tournament but didn’t make the final cut as Fae took over as manager mid-tournament and won the whole thing.
The holders are due to start their title defence on Christmas Eve, playing Mozambique in Marrakech. All three of their group games will be held at the same stadium, with Cameroon and Gabon their other opponents.
Guessand, a £26million summer signing from Nice, has struggled for regular minutes as Morgan Rogers has thrived and Emi Buendia and John McGinn have also featured in advanced roles under Unai Emery. He has started just one of Villa’s last six league matches, but has been a more regular presence in the Europa League and scored against Go Ahead Eagles and Basel.
Emery’s team have two more league matches before the turn of the year, away at Chelsea and Arsenal. Guessand is their only representative at AFCON but could be gone for the best part of a month if Cote d’Ivoire make back-to-back finals.
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