Captain Emmanuel Adebayor has been left out of the Togo squad for next month’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Comoros.
The 35-year-old is not in coach Claude Le Roy’s 23-man provisional list for the preliminary round double-header which takes place in Comoros on 6 September and in Lome four days later.
No official reason has been given for the omission of Adebayor who has been without a club since leaving Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir at the end of last season.
The former Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Real Madrid striker was last left out for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Gambia last October.
Another key player overlooked by Le Roy is 35-year-old midfielder Jacques-Alaixys Romao who plays for French Ligue 1 club Reims. Romao has played for Togo since 2005.
James Olufade, whose eligibility to play for Togo was unsuccessfully challenged by the Gambia Football Association during the 2019 Nations Cup qualifiers, returns to the Sparrow Hawks squad.
Among the new faces in the squad are players who have featured for Togo’s local-based national team, including Agbozo Klousseh, Aigba Abdul Mubarak and Mubarak Abdul Bode.
BBC Sports