Adebayor upset at Lyon excuses

Emmanuel Adebayor has angrily accused French club Lyon of a “ridiculous excuse” for opting not to sign him.

The Ligue 1 club had considered a move for the 32-year-old free agent due to Alexandre Lacazette’s injury, despite also signing 19-year-old Jean-Philippe Mateta from third-tier Chateauroux.

Adebayor met with Bruno Genesio on Friday, after the coach’s pre-match press conference in which he said the striker “could indeed” sign, only to then pull out of any deal because of his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations with Togo and his ineligibility for the Champions League.

The former Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur striker has hit back and told L’Equipe, “They said that? That’s nonsense. They came to me after we had qualified (for the Africa Cup of Nations).

“They knew I was going to play. If they start looking for such excuses, they will kill themselves. I’m the captain of my country, so how could I not go? What if a Frenchman refused to play in the Euros?”