Ivory Coast announce final Fifa World Cup squad
Sven-Göran Eriksson has chosen his 23-man Ivory Coast squad ahead of this summer’s World Cup finals, and has omitted the West Bromwich Albion defender Abdoulaye Meite.
Former Reading failure Emerse Fae and strikers Kanga Akale and Bakary Koné have also been left out by Eriksson, who is only in his third month in the job.
The Swede, who managed England in the last two World Cups, has selected Premier League quintet Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou, Emmanuel Eboue and Steven Gohouri, while former Portsmouth man Aruna Dindane and ex-Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora, now at Sevilla, also make the final squad.
Goalkeeper Vincent Angban, defender Benjamin Brou Angoua and midfielder Gilles Yapi Yapo have also been left out of the squad, who will face Portugal, Brazil and North Korea in one of the most intriguing groups of the finals.
Their first Group G match against Portugal is in Port Elizabeth on June 15th.
Ivory Coast’s final squad for the Fifa World Cup:
Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren), Aristides Zogbo (Maccabi Netanya), Daniel Yeboah (ASEC Abidjan)
Defenders: Souleymane Bamba (Hibernian), Arthur Boka (VfB Stuttgart), Guy Demel (Hamburg SV), Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal), Steve Gohouri (Wigan Athletic), Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes), Kolo Toure (Manchester City), Benjamin Brou Angoua (Valenciennes)
Midfielders: Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Monaco), Abdelkader Keita (Galatasaray), Emmanuel Kone (International Curtea Arges), Gervais Yao Kouassi (Lille), Christian Koffi Ndri (Sevilla), Cheik Ismael Tiote (Twente Enschede), Yaya Toure (Barcelona), Didier Zokora (Sevilla)
Forwards: Aruna Dindane (Lekhwiya), Seydou Doumbia (Young Boys Berne), Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea).
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