Cameroon’s Joel Matip retires from international football

Cameroonian defender Joel Matip has announced he is done with playing on the international scene with the reigning African Champions, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.

Matip, who plays for English Premier league side Liverpool, said in an interview with MailSport few days ago: “It’s done now and I’m looking to the future.

“I only wanted to stay here and play. It was not easy because I didn’t understand what was going on. Now the problem is solved and I can concentrate on Liverpool.”

The 25-year old, who represented his country at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and Brazil respectively, was one of the seven players who opted out of Hugo Broos’s team for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon which Cameroon won.

Read Also: CAMEROON COACH: My players made the difference

A the time, the Liverpool defender was embroiled in a dispute with FIFA for refusing the national call-up, and went ahead to miss five games for his club in January; but looking back on the saga he says he has no regrets.

“I knew they could win it (AFCON 2017). I was happy.” he continued.

“Cameroon is a big football nation. I was happy for them because the last years were not easy and they got back to their old spot.

“I tried to play there and represent my country, do my best and achieve something but all the surrounding things were not the best to do this.

“It is Africa, and you can never compare it to European things. I’ll concentrate on Liverpool. It’s done.”

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