Nottingham Forest’s Cheikhou Kouyate leaves Senegal’s AFCON camp to attend the funeral of his father after his tragic death on Tuesday
- The team’s vice-captain was an unused substitute in the opening match against Gambia
- It is not yet known whether the 34-year-old will return for the draw with Cameroon on Friday
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Nottingham Forest defender Cheikhou Kouyate has left the Senegalese AFCON squad following the death of his father.
The 34-year-old was forced to leave the camp on Tuesday after the death of his father Bangiougou and will attend his funeral in the Senegalese capital Dakar on Wednesday afternoon.
In a statement from the Senegalese Football Federation, the team expressed with “regret and deep pain” their condolences to the national team veteran following the sad news.
‘The President of the Senegalese Football Federation, Mr Augustin Senghor, the members of the Executive Committee, the coach of the National Football Team, Mr Aliou Cisse, the players of the National Football Team and the football family have the regret and deep pain to inform you informing of the death of Mr. Bangiougou Kouyate, father of Cheikhou Kouyate, member of the Senegal national team,” their statement read.
‘His death occurred on Tuesday, January 16 in Dakar. The funeral is scheduled for Wednesday, January 17 at the Khar Yalla Mosque, followed by burial at Musalman Cemetery in Yoff.
Cheikhou Kouyate has been allowed to leave Senegal’s camp after the death of his father
It is not yet known whether the Lions of Teranga vice-captain will return for Senegal’s next match (pictured in 2022)
“In this painful circumstance, the Senegalese Football Federation expresses its most saddened condolences to Cheikhou Kouyate, who was also allowed to leave today’s national team meeting to attend the funeral in Dakar.”
Kouyate – who is attending his fifth AFCON with the national team – was an unused substitute in the defending champions’ opening match against Gambia, where the Lions of Teranga recorded a 3-0 victory.
The defender is the team’s vice-captain and has collected 90 caps for the side.
It is not known whether the Premier League player will be available for selection by Aliou Cisse for the team’s next group match, when they play Cameroon on Friday afternoon.
The loss of his father will likely be deeply felt by Kouyate, who described him in 2018 as his most devoted fan.
“My dad watches every game I play,” the then Crystal Palace player shared. “Every time I play well, he’ll say, ‘No, no, you played bad,’ and every time I play bad, ‘I’ll say, ‘Yes, you played bad.’
‘But (his criticism) is good, he wants me to put pressure on myself every time. He says to my mother: “If I tell our son he’s playing well, he’s not going to do anything!”. I like that he forces me to work hard every day.
‘In everything I do on the field, I want to do my best for my father.