Nicolas Pepe Recalled to Ivory Coast Squad After Diomande Injury

Ivory Coast has recalled striker Nicolas Pepe for upcoming World Cup warm-up matches after teenage forward Yann Diomande was ruled out with injury.

Pepe, 30, had initially been excluded from the squad set to face South Korea in Milton Keynes and Scotland in Liverpool. He was also left out of the recent Africa Cup of Nations, where the defending champions exited in the quarter-finals.

The French-born forward, who has scored five LaLiga goals for Villarreal this season, last played for the Elephants in October. His absence followed controversial remarks about Morocco’s tournament record, which he later apologized for, citing online racial abuse and lack of support from the Ivorian football federation.

Ivory Coast will compete in World Cup Group E alongside Ecuador, Germany, and Curaçao.