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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said yesterday he could not understand why ‘retired’ Cameroon defender Joel Matip was currently unavailable to the Reds because of the African Nations Cup.
Klopp had to pull Matip out of Sunday’s Premier League draw with Manchester United because of a confusion over the player’s international status.
Both Matip and Liverpool believe the 25-year-old – who has not played for Cameroon since September 2015 — has retired from international football.
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Yet he was still named in Cameroon’s squad for the ongoing African Nations Cup in Gabon.
The Cameroonian Football Federation had a right to select him under FIFA rules and, with the player not having reported for international duty, the global governing body has the power to suspend Matip from club football for the duration of the tournament.
