Speaking after Everton and Brighton drew in the Premier League at Goodison Park, Abdoulaye Doucoure
In light of the ‘terrible’ decisions his Everton team faced against Brighton & Hove Albion, Abdoulaye Doucoure has announced he will not be competing in the next Africa Cup of Nations.
With a split of the points against the Seagulls on Saturday afternoon, the Blues increased their winning streak to three games across all competitions. Vitalii Mykolenko’s first-half opener was cancelled out by Ashley Young’s late own goal.
Following the match, Blues manager Sean Dyche stated that his team ought to have received a penalty when Dominic Calvert-Lewin was brought down inside the area by Jan Paul van Hecke’s challenge.
However, Doucoure was enraged by another event that occurred halfway through the first half. Lewis Dunk hacked down Calvert-Lewin on the edge of the box, but referee Tim Robinson whistled for a foul and awarded a free-kick, which James Garner hammered over, rather than letting play continue with Doucoure through on goal.
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Doucoure, however, expressed his dissatisfaction with the call and disclosed that referee Robinson extended an apology to him after awarding the foul. Robinson admitted that he had blown the whistle too quickly.
Speaking about some of the calls made by Robinson, Doucoure said, “I think the first one in the first-half, when Dominic went down, I was alone, to be honest, and the referee just blows the whistle.”
He added, “I don’t know why because I was alone, and it was a very big chance, to be honest. Some day some awful decision (sic), I think.”
When asked if the referee spoke to him about the decision, Doucoure confirmed, “He apologised after it. He said I blew the whistle too early, but this afternoon we fought, and we had some good chances to win the game. But we conceded that goal that killed us at the end.”
Doucoure recently signed a new contract with Everton, extending his stay until the end of June 2025. In another positive development for Sean Dyche’s side, the midfielder has decided not to represent Mali at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Abdoulaye extended his deal with Everton to 2025
Regarding his participation in the tournament, Doucoure stated, “No, at the moment, I don’t think I’m going to make the Africa Nations Cup, to be honest. I think I’m going to stay here in an Everton shirt. I don’t want to go. It’s not a big, big decision because I went only one time for the Mali national team.”
He added, “I want to focus really on my career and on the club. I have all the respect for my country, but I am going to stay here.”
Reflecting on his new deal, Doucoure mentioned, “I’ve been in tough moments, to be honest. It was very hard for me, but I never give up.”
“Nobody can break me. I’m still here, fighting for the club. I have my new contract, so I’m very happy. The new manager came and put me back in. Everyone in the club loves me.
“All of my career, I was always playing. I only had this problem with the previous manager, which wasn’t working. I’m still here, still happy, still alive and looking for more.
“The priority was always to stay, but I was at the end of the contract, and Everton had to make a decision. In the end, it worked well because my wish was always to stay, and we found a good agreement.”\
