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Liverpool defender Joel Matip is set to escape punishment from FIFA for rejecting the chance to play for Cameroon at next month’s Africa Cup of Nations.

The Cameroon football federation had warned that Matip could be disciplined after he told Indomitable Lions coach Hugo Broos that he was turning down a call-up for the tournament in Gabon “due to a bad experience with the previous technical staff”.

In a statement they warned that the “federation reserves the right to take action against these players in accordance with FIFA regulations”. That sparked fears that Matip’s availability for Liverpool could be affected for the duration of the Africa Cup of Nations.

However, the ECHO understands that it’s highly unlikely that the Reds will be impacted in any way. Matip, who has been in a self-imposed international exile for over a year, had long since made it clear that he had no intention of playing in the tournament which takes place from January 14 to February 5.

“It’s not an easy decision but I want to concentrate on Liverpool. I want to be here,” Matip said recently.

“I want to focus on Liverpool and that’s what I had to decide. I think I took the right decision.”

Matip has missed the Reds’ past two matches with an ankle injury but Jurgen Klopp is hoping to have him back for the home clash with Stoke City on December 27.