Officials announced today, Sunday, that Guinea-Bissau's national team captain, Jonas Mendes, will participate in the Africa Cup of Nations for the fourth consecutive time after being selected in a squad of 25 players for the tournament that kicks off next month in Ivory Coast. However, second-division French striker Alexandre Mandi declined to join the national team despite participating in a World Cup qualifying match last month. Mandi scored 12 goals with Caen, leading the second division scoring charts in France.
Mendes, 34, has played in seven of the nine matches the West African nation has competed in since their first appearance in 2017. Mandi is the only significant absentee from the squad announced by coach Balde Grande, who is in charge for the fourth consecutive tournament.
The squad also includes defender Edgar Yi, who made one appearance for Portugal in 2017. Since it was a friendly match, he was allowed to change his allegiance to the country he was born in. The 29-year-old player made his debut with Guinea-Bissau last June.
Striker Zé Turbo, who plays in Russia, returns to the squad after being excluded from last month's World Cup qualifiers. The team will gather on January 2 in Bissau before facing Mali in a friendly in Bamako on January 6. Guinea-Bissau will play against host nation Ivory Coast in the opening match of the tournament on January 13, and will also face Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria in Group A.
