Drogba heads Ivory Coast's Nations Cup squad
Ivory Coast superstar Didier Drogba headed coach Sabri Lamouchi's
23-player Africa Cup of Nations squad unveiled here on Thursday.
The China-based striker is hoping to lead his country to the title in
South Africa after missing out on penalties to Zambia in Gabon in the
2012 edition.
Manchester City's Toure brothers Kolo and Yaya, the African Player of
the Year, were among half a dozen players called up from the English
Premier League.
The only non-foreign based name on Lamouchi's list was goalkeeper Ali
Badra.
Only six of the squad for the January 19-February 10 tournament did
not figure at the 2012 Nations Cup.
Ivory Coast are preparing for the competition with a January 6-16
training camp in Abu Dhabi, with a friendly pencilled in against Egypt,
who failed to qualify, on January 14.
"I've selected these 23 players to perform good work in Abu Dhabi and
I hope that they will all be available to go the Nations Cup," said the
team's French coach.
In South Africa, the Ivorians are drawn in Group D with Algeria,
Tunisia and Togo.
Ivory Coast squad Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren/BEL), Daniel
Yeboah (Dijon/FRA), Ali Badra Sangar (Ivoire Academie) Defenders:
Souleymane Bamba (Trazbonspor/TUR), Siaka Tiene (Paris Saint Germain/RA),
Kolo Toure (Manchester City/ENG), Igor Lolo (Kuban Krasnodar/RUS),
Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray/TUR), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart/GER), Ismael
Traore (Brest/FRA) Midfielders: Yaya Toure (Manchester City (ENG),
Didier Ya Konan (Hannover 96/GER), Max Gradel (Saint-Etienne/FRA),
Didier Zokora (Trazbonspor/TUR), Abdul Razak (Manchester City/ENG),
Romaric Ndri Koffi (Zaragosa/ESP), Cheick Ismael Tiote (Newcastle/ENG)
Forwards: Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua/CHN), Gervinho (Arsenal/ENG),
Salomon Kalou (Lille/FRA), Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arnhem/NED, Lacina
Traore (Anzhi Makhachkala/RUS), Arouna Kone (Wigan/ENG). |