With nothing other than bonuses to fight for, Sierra Leone skipper Steven Caulker has left camp ahead of Tuesday meeting against Zambia in Monrovia, Liberia.
A 1 – all draw against Chad on Thursday compromised Sierra Leone’s Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) chances. Any hopes of pushing the qualification to the wire were extinguished when Zambia beat Ivory Coast on Friday.
Chipolopolo, who left for Monrovia on Saturday lead the group with 10 points, one better than Ivory Coast while Sierra Leone and Chad are on five and three points respectively.
With only one match left before the qualifiers end, Sierra Leone’s game against Zambia is a near formality in that a win for the hosts will do nothing to change their fate.
With this being the case, some players are considering pulling out of the game with the skipper being the first one to leave.
Caulker who plays his club football in Turkey has left the team citing an urgent personal matter that called for his immediate attention, the FA is quoted by Football Sierra Leone.
“Unfortunately, Steven will miss Sierra Leone’s final game against the Chipolopolo of Zambia in the ongoing 2025 AFCON Qualification campaign,” a citation from Football Sierra Leone read in part.
READ MORE: Ghana Fails to Qualify for AfCON for the First Time in 20 Years