Burkina Faso's Stallions: Bertrand Traoré absent, Amir Abdou explains

The coach explains why his captain was not called up

Africa Today at 05:08

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Burkina Faso's Stallions: Bertrand Traoré absent, Amir Abdou explains

Stallions coach Amir Abdou announced this Thursday a list of 25 players selected for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin and the Central African Republic, as well as a friendly against Argentina. Captain Bertrand Traoré is not included.

Asked about his absence, Amir Abdou sought to clarify his position

Let him settle in. Bertrand is the captain. He played 15 minutes yesterday. I had quite a few conversations with him before he signed for a club, during his individual training. I congratulated him on his new project. We need to give things time. He needs to settle in. He needs to be performing before returning to the national team because he is a very important player.

A gradual return at club level

The 31-year-old forward, who has 86 caps and 26 goals, signed for Wolverhampton as a free agent on September 7 after several months without playing competitively. He played 15 minutes again this week in the 0-1 defeat by Everton, his first appearance since March. He has not yet played under Amir Abdou, who took charge of the Stallions six months ago.