Drogba out of Elephants squad for London clash
Didier Drogba has been left out of a 26-man Ivory Coast squad for Tuesday’s international friendly against Italy in London.
The Chelsea striker, who has been recuperating from surgery to his groin, is one of just four players missing from the Elephants squad that did duty at the World Cup.
Apart from the captain, Galatasaray midfielder Kader Keita also misses out, along with Monaco’s Jean-Jacques Gosso and Maccabi Netanya goalkeeper Aristide Zogbo.
The remaining 19 players who played in South Africa have all been named for the clash against the 2006 world champions, including Manchester City pair Yaya and Kolo Toure, Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou and Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue.
The seven players added to the list are Yannick Sagbo, Constant Djakpa, Emerse Fae, Kafoumba Coulibaly, Gilles Yapi-Yapo, Didier Konan Ya and Bakari Kone.
The west Africans, who were knocked out in the first round of the World Cup, are without a coach following the exit of Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The Ivory Coast squad is: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren), Daniel Yeboah (ASEC Mimosas); Constant Djakpa (Hannover), Sol Bamba (Hibernian), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart), Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal), Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes), Kolo Toure (Manchester City), Guy Demel (Hamburg), Steve Gohouri (Wigan), Benjamin Angoua (Valenciennes); Didier Zokora (Seville), Emerse Fae (Nice), Kafoumba Coulibaly (Nice), Romaric (Seville), Cheick Tiote (FC Twente), Yaya Toure (Barcelona), Gilles Yapi-Yapo (FC Basel); Aruna Dindane (Lekhwiya), Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea), Gervinho (Lille), Emmanuel Kone (CFR Cluj), Didier Konan Ya (Hannover), Yannick Sagbo (Monaco), Bakari Kone (Lekhwiya).
