Snubbed Senegalese defender leaves HCMC FC

Pape Diakité (L) when playing for HCMC FC against Hanoi FC, October 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Tu.

He wrote on Facebook: "It is with great sadness and disappointment I have to announce, that from today, I have officially left HCMC. It is very simple: I am not in the head coach’s plans so I have accepted the decision and want to wish the club all the best in the future.

"I want to thank the passionate fans who have been amazing from the moment I joined the club. Who knows what the future holds, maybe one day I will have the privilege and opportunity to play in front of you again."

Diakité parts ways after over a year with the club. Since joining HCMC at the end of 2019 he has been arguably one of the best ever defenders in the V. League.

But when Brazilian Mano Polking became the club’s head coach this season, Diakité was not even named in the squad for the first leg of the 2021 season as he made way for the Brazilian strikers bought recently.

Diakité continued to train with the team, but after sitting out five games, he decided enough was enough.

Despite spending big on the transfer market to buy three Brazilian forwards, Joao Paulo, Dário and Junior Barros, and Vietnamese-American midfielder Lee Nguyen, HCMC have had a disappointing season so far.

In the first seven rounds they lost five matches and won only two to go next to last in the table.