Angola coach Pedro Gonçalves has justified his exclusion of striker Manuel Afonso (Ary Papel) from upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Libya and Cape Verde.
The coach said the Libya-based attacker made it clear that he would never return to the Palancas Negras’ squad with the Portuguese mentor in charge.
"In the statement Ary made to the media, there were a few surprises for me. He said in an interview he would only return to the national team when I am no longer Angola's selector. With that, he has already made his position clear," Gonçalves told the press on Tuesday when he announced the squad.
The Al Akhdar SC player is scoring goals for fun in Libya's top flight but was among the notable exclusions from the squad alongside veteran goalkeeper Hugo Marques of Petro de Luanda, who has since expressed his wish to return to the team.
The Palancas Negras have a difficult test at Libya on March 20 before traveling to the Angolan capital of Luanda to host fellow Lusophone nation Cape Verde on March 25.
With the campaign set to surpass the halfway point, Gonçalves is mostly counting on established players to get the job done at a crucial moment. Angola are fourth in Group D but only two points behind group leaders Cameroon.
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