Football - Ivory Coast: Nicolas Pépé returns under strong pressure
Left at the dock for the AFCON 2025 in Morocco, Nicolas Pépé, who thought of an international retreat after this non-selection, must now wipe the slate clean and return to the national team, after his call-up to compensate for the absence of Yan Diomandé, who forfeited his international break in March. However, his cohabitation with his teammates, notably Alban Lafont, will be closely scrutinized after his often unfiltered outings in recent weeks regarding the selection and the transgression of the Federation’s prerogatives.
Philemon MBALE · Author profile ·
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Morocco, racism and lack of support
All the ills experienced by Nicolas Pépé since the end of 2025 have their origins in a joke about Morocco, as small as it may be: 'Attention Moroccans. How many stars (of AFCON won) do they have? They haven’t won since 1818. In any case, even my old man was not born," the star of Villarreal said during his immersive interview with YouTuber Just Riadh.
Quickly, a wave of racist messages from Moroccan fans flooded his comments on Instagram. In this event, La Liga and its club, Villarreal, were quick to give him their support, while the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) demanded an apology for his teasing remarks towards the host country of the African Cup of Nations. What he did reluctantly. Finally not to be caught in the list of Emerse Faé, in what he described as «double punishment» on Instagram.
“To tell the truth, I did it reluctantly, because I get insults and I have to apologize? I did it because my president (Idriss Diallo) asked me to," said Nicolas Pépé in an interview with Malick Traoré for the Ivorian New Channel last February.
«I am subject to racist insults, I do not make the AFCON and the federation does not defend me. [... ] La Liga takes your defense, people take your defense, but not your country. The statement came too late, the damage is already done. I would have preferred that they do it before. It’s as if we crush you, and we crush you even more with this late message,” says Pépé.
A return to the national team demanded by the public
If the FIF has chosen the diplomatic route to manage this controversy in order not to offend the centuries-old relations between Abidjan and Rabat, the Ivorian supporters themselves have taken a clear position for Nicolas Pépé that they defended on all fronts. The latter insisted on the return of Villarreal’s right wing to selection and won their case, even though it took a combination of circumstances for their wish to become reality.
And yet, Nicolas Pépé thought about stopping with the selection after the disappointment of his absence from the competition. "Did I digest it? No, to tell the truth. It’s still there because the AFCON was a month ago,” he confided three weeks ago. From now on, the 30-year-old player will have to show wisdom and think only about the game, which he knows how to do best and which is quite good for him at the moment.
Dialogue reopened with Faé and first contacts in sight with Alban Lafont
During this long-running interview for NCI, Nicolas Pépé revealed that he had received advice from Didier Drogba who invited him to reconsider his position with a view to the World Cup in June, even though he no longer planned at the time.
« I told him that I wanted to stop. I let him know. And he told me: 'There is the World Cup coming in four to five months, so focus on what you have to do. I don’t plan, I prefer to focus on what I do with my club. If it comes, it comes. But if it doesn’t come, I will not be disappointed because I am not planning to go there. For now, there has been no discussion for me to return to the national team,"
indicated Nicolas Pépé in February.
Since then, the lines have moved and the player received a summons to return with the Elephants of Côte d'Ivoire after discussing with coach Emerse Faé. However, his cohabitation with Alban Lafont whose selection choice made him react in the meantime,
"He is not Ivorian," said Pépé, will be closely scrutinized. Even though the two men have already exchanged. "I spoke with Alban, we laughed. He knows that I was joking,"
he had revealed.
In terms of sports, Nicolas Pépé remains an important player for Côte d'Ivoire, especially since his competitor on the right, Amad Diallo is not at his best with Manchester United (2 goals and 3 assists in 26 games).
'Pépé’s return is more than logical given what he has achieved this season with his club. The supporters have wished for his return for the most part. In the locker room, it should be fine especially since he has a good relationship with Alban as he said in his interview. I think he will bring a lot to the team during this truce," says Ivorian journalist Japhet Marcel.
After scoring 5 goals and 6 assists in 38 matches in all competitions this season with Villarreal, Nicolas Pépé returns to the team determined to show that he still has something to give for Ivory Coast.
A little more than two months before the 2026 World Cup, he might be well on his way to the expedition with the Elephants. He will have the opportunity to show that he still has pins and needles in his legs during the friendly matches against South Korea (March 28) and Scotland (March 31).