Sunderland reveals international absences.. An opportunity to examine the status of its African players

13 players on national duties and a trio under the microscope

Africa Today at 15:46

Add Foot Africa on Google

Sunderland reveals international absences.. An opportunity to examine the status of its African players

Sunderland's latest international squad update has revealed contrasting situations for the club's African players ahead of the November international break.

The Premier League side confirmed on Tuesday 10 November that 13 members of its senior squad had received international call ups, including three players representing African national teams at senior or youth level.

However, Morocco's Chemsdine Talbi, Senegal's Habib Diarra and Mozambique's Reinildo Mandava are missing from the travelling contingent.

The three absences tell different stories, one concerns national team selection, another injury and the third an international retirement announced earlier this year.

DR Congo duo selected.. But at different international levels

According to Sunderland's official international duty update, Noah Sadiki will join DR Congo's senior squad for their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double header against Sierra Leone on 12 and 17 November.

His compatriot Jules Ahoka has instead been selected for DR Congo's U23 team which faces Nigeria in the second round of qualification for the 2027 U23 AFCON.

The distinction is particularly interesting after Ahoka's outstanding performance against Chelsea on Sunday.

As Foot Africa previously reported, the 20 year old replaced injured captain Granit Xhaka after four minutes and was subsequently named Player of the Match in Sunderland's 1-0 victory.

Despite that breakthrough, Ahoka remains with the Congolese youth setup rather than receiving a senior call up.

Meanwhile, Ivorian winger Jocelin Ta Bi joins his country's U23 squad for their qualifying encounters against Kenya on 11 and 17 November.

Brighton: +7 points. Everton: +4 points. Sunderland: -10 points. Man Utd: -9 points. Ten games into the PL season, some fortunes have changed rather dramatically 📉📈 Who's had the biggest turnaround? Link below 👇 https://t.co/lezzmzFvO5
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 9, 2026

Talbi, Diarra and Reinildo.. Three different explanations

Talbi's omission is particularly notable because he has recently regained playing time with Sunderland.

The Moroccan winger started Sunday's Premier League victory over Chelsea, having also been restored to the club's Europa League squad earlier this month.

Nevertheless, he was not included in Mohamed Ouahbi's 26 man Morocco squad for the Niger double header, with the coach selecting other wide attacking options, including newcomer Ayoub Oufkir.

Diarra's situation is different.

The Senegal international suffered a hamstring injury in training, with Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris indicating on 4 November that his recovery could take approximately six weeks.

His absence from Patrick Vieira's squad is therefore injury related.

Reinildo, however, is not awaiting a recall.

The experienced left back announced his retirement from international football following Mozambique's participation in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Mozambican Football Federation confirmed his decision on 5 January 2026, meaning his absence from November's squad is unrelated to his current club performances.

This article follows our newsroom’s editorial standards. To learn more about how we create and fact-check our content, see our Editorial Policy .

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.