Hosts Cote D’Ivoire leave out Zaha in AFCON 2023 final list
The Africa Cup of Nations hosts, Cote D’Ivoire, revealed their 27-man squad for the January 13 to February 11 tournament, incorporating a mix of overseas talents, in an announcement made on Thursday.
Under the management of French coach Jean-Louis Gasset, Cote D’Ivoire squad includes Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller, Monaco defender Wilfried Singo, along with midfielders Ibrahim Sangare from Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest, Seko Fofana from Al Nassr, and Franck Kesslie from Al Ahli.
However, absent from Gasset’s selection are Galatasaray forward Wilfried Zaha and Besiktas defender Eric Bailly.
Drawn in Group A alongside Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast gears up for the challenge ahead.
Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana (Angers/FRA), Charles Folly (Asec Mimosas), Badra Ali (Sekhukhune United/RSA)
Defenders: Serge Aurier (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Willy Boly (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Ismael Diallo (Hajduk Split/CRO), Ousmane Diomandé (Sporting Lisbon/POR), Ghislain Konan (Al-Feiha/KSA), Evans N’dicka (Roma/ITA), Odilon Kossonou (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Wilfried Singo (Monaco/FRA)
Midfielders: Jean-Thierry Amani Lazare (Union Saint-Gilloise/BEL), Idrissa Doumbia (Alanyaspor/TUR), Seko Fofana (Al Nassr/KSA), Ibrahim Sangaré (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Franck Kessié (Al-Ahli/KSA), Jean-Michael Seri (Hull/ENG)
Forwards: Simon Adingra (Brighton/ENG), Jonathan Bamba (Celta Vigo/ESP), Jérémie Boga (Nice/FRA), Sébastien Haller (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Karim Konaté (RB Salzburg/AUT), Christian Kouamé (Fiorentina/ITA), Jean-Philippe Krasso (Red Star Belgrade/SRB), Max-Alain Gradel (Gaziantep/TUR), Oumar Diakité (Reims/FRA), Nicolas Pépé (Trabzonspor/TUR)