Didier Drogba has been ruled out of the friendly with Bafana Bafana on Saturday. Cote d’Ivoire named their squad for the game without the striker.
His drop was confirmed when Cote d’Ivoire settled on their 19-match squad to travel to Port Elizabeth for the friendly match against the South African national team.
Drogba had surgery last week to remove pins and screws that were placed in his arm when he broke it just before last year’s World Cup.
He missed the UEFA Champions League match last Tuesday for Chelsea and sits out the international fixture at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium as well in a pre-arranged agreement with the Ivorian federation.
Coach Francis Zahoui’s named his squad for the match despite several South African news outlets having claimed a few days ago to have a list of the Ivorians travelling to Mzansi last week. Drogba’s absence means there will be focus on his likely successor Seydou Doumbia, who is making a name for himself in the Champions League with Russian club CSKA Moscow.
The trip also marks a return to South Africa for Siaka Tiene, the former Mamelodi Sundowns fullback who now plays at French club Paris St Germain.
All of the squad members except for back up goalkeeper Daniel Yeboah are based at European clubs.
Cote d’Ivoire squad: Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren, Belgium), Gerard Gnanhouan (US Avranches, France), Daniel Yeboah (ASEC Abidjan)
Defenders: Benjamin Brou Angoua (Valenciennes, France), Soulemanye Bamba (Leicester City, England), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray, Turkey), Igor Lolo (Kuab Krasnodar, Russia), Siaka Tiene (Paris St Germain), Kolo Toure (Manchester City, England), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor, Turkey)
Midfielders: Kafoumba Coulibaly (Nice, France), Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Orduspor, Turkey), Max Gradel (St Etienne, France), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover 96, Germany), Yaya Toure (Manchester City, England)
