Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha said he was unable to travel to the Ivory Coast camp due to family duties in England.
Zaha was among the 26 players invited by Patrice Beaumelle for the double-header Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Madagascar.
After helping Crystal Palace to a 4-1 win over Leeds United last Saturday, the 28-year-old did not make the trip to Abidjan for the first game against the island nation.
On Thursday, he explained his absence and his ambition to return to the Elephants set-up in the next international break scheduled for March 2021.