Madagascar drops veteran striker over decade-old eligibility remarks
Federation cites decade-old remarks in decision to exclude striker from qualifying matches
Zacharie Boucher will not feature in Madagascar’s Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying campaign. The Madagascar Football Federation has excluded the 34-year-old after officials uncovered public statements he made in 2018, when he believed he had no eligibility to represent the country.
Boucher had been called up initially for the qualification matches. That changed once the federation became aware of his earlier comments and convened discussions among the relevant parties. Officials concluded that dropping him from the next Barea assembly was the appropriate course of action.
Additional reference context is available at https://www.footmercato.net/a3004623398391846915-madagascar-zacharie-boucher-ecarte-de-la-selection-pour-ses-propos-datant-de-2018.
The federation’s statement was direct. “Following a meeting held within the Federation, the coach was informed of public declarations attributed to player Zacharie Boucher, made during an interview conducted several years ago, at a time when he was unaware of his eligibility to represent Madagascar’s national team. After exchanges between the various parties involved, it was decided not to retain the player for the next assembly of the Barea.”
The remarks themselves date to 2018, when Boucher expressed unambiguous reservations about playing for Madagascar. Reported by French outlets Ouest-France and L’Équipe, and documented at www.footmercato.net, his words left little room for interpretation: “I am French, I have never been Malagasy. I don’t know why everything came out like that. On my side, there is nothing. You only have to look at my passport. On it, it says ‘French’. If the coach calls me, it’s no. Besides, at the administrative level, I can’t even. I am not Malagasy. The French team jersey is important to me. I will not wear any other jersey than that one.”
Those comments reflected a player who, at the time, understood his national identity as exclusively French and his passport as proof of it. He had no apparent awareness that Malagasy eligibility was even a possibility.
By contrast, the federation’s current position treats those past declarations as disqualifying, regardless of how Boucher’s understanding of his eligibility may have shifted in the years since. The gap between what a player says before eligibility becomes clear and what a federation expects once it does is rarely straightforward to navigate. Boucher’s case makes that tension concrete.
The exclusion closes the door on his involvement in the 2027 qualifiers. Whether the federation leaves any path open beyond this campaign is the question that remains unanswered.
Q&A
Why did Madagascar Football Federation exclude Zacharie Boucher from the 2027 qualifying campaign?
The federation excluded Boucher after discovering public statements he made in 2018 in which he expressed unwillingness to represent Madagascar and asserted his exclusive French identity and citizenship.
What did Boucher say about representing Madagascar in 2018?
Boucher stated he was French, had never been Malagasy, and would not wear any jersey other than the French team jersey. He said his passport proved his French identity and that administratively he could not represent Madagascar.
When did the federation become aware of Boucher's earlier comments?
The federation became aware of the comments after Boucher had been initially called up for the qualification matches. Officials then convened discussions and decided to drop him from the next Barea assembly.
Does the federation's decision leave any possibility for Boucher's future involvement?
The exclusion closes the door on Boucher's involvement in the 2027 qualifiers, but whether the federation leaves any path open beyond this campaign remains unanswered.