Monday morning, Amine Gouiri announced that he would not be able to play in the African Cup of Nations due to a knee problem. A “heartbreak” for the Rennes striker, hampered for several weeks by this injury.
More than the unavailability of the player, it was the lack of communication from Stade Rennais that bothered Belmadi, the Algerian coach: “Strangely, we received information from Stade Rennais following our request. Because it was the player himself who told us that he had pain that we were unaware of. Indeed, during his last match, on December 20, he played almost the entire game. There was no signal that could alert us that he had an injury.”
Tuesday, the Breton club wanted to respond, via a press release published on its website: “Following the speech of the Algerian coach, Stade Rennais F.C. would like to clarify that all the information relating to the health of Amine Gouiri has been transmitted in due time to its selection so that the latter can make a decision regarding its participation in CAN 2024. Before adding: “Stade Rennais F.C. is disappointed for its striker who will miss a major international competition. We would also like to send all our best wishes to the Algerian selection.”