Cameroon coach Toni Conceicao has revealed that defender Joel Matip turned down an invitation to play for the Indomitable Lions again.
Matip was among the players who are side-lined by the Cameroon FA after they refused to join the team for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations which Cameroon ironically won in Gabon.
Conceicao revealed this at a press conference while naming his 28-man squad for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers for next month.
“The situation of Matip is not new,” he stated as quoted by BBC Sport.
“There are players who wanted to come back to the national team. For me there is no need to enlist a player who is not ready to return.
“Matip does not want to return to the national team, that is the issue”.
The Liverpool defender last featured for Cameroon in 2015 and cited mismanagement issues and bad experiences with the coaching staff.
He was named in the team for Afcon finals in Gabon in 2017 but he stayed away.