Nicolas Pepe of Cote dIvoire challenges Sylvester Owino of Kenya during the 2026 World Cup Qualifier football match between Cote dIvoire and Kenya at Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire on 14 October 2025 ©Mohamed Aly/BackpagePix
Tuesday Dec 16, 2025. 14:55
Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae has revealed that Nicolas Pepe was left out of his squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations due to off-the-field factors.
The 30-year-old winger made just one appearance during the AFCON qualifiers, but he played a more significant role for the Elephants as they booked their place at the 2026 World Cup.
Pepe has featured regularly for Villarreal this term, scoring two goals and providing one assist in 14 La Liga games to help his team make their best-ever start to a season.
However, the French-born Ivorian ruffled some feathers when he mocked tournament hosts Morocco on a recent podcast and received backlash on social media for his ill-timed comments.
While Fae didn’t go into detail about the circumstances, he admitted that Pepe’s omission was not for sporting reasons.
“If we were to consider only the sporting aspect, he (Pepe) would be with us,” the 2023 AFCON winner said.
“To make a list you have to take into account many factors, both on and off the field. All these factors have led to Nico not being on the list.”
Pepe’s remarks would no doubt have brought unwanted attention on the defending African champions after he said: “We have three [tournament wins] and you (Algeria) only have two.
“But watch out for the Moroccans, they’re here. How many stars do they have? One? They must have won that in 1818, we weren’t even born yet, not even my dad was born.”