Toure and Zaha withdrawn from Ivory Coast squad

by Austin Ditlhobolo

Friday Mar 23, 2018. 16:30

Ivory Coast internationals Gbamin Jean Philippe, Maxwell Cornet, Wilfried Zaha and Yaya Toure have all been withdrawn from the latest Elephants squad.

The Elephants are scheduled to face Togo in an international friendly match in France on Saturday, before taking on Moldova in the same country three days later.

However, the Ivorian Football Federation has since revealed that three players have been withdrawn from the squad as they are currently nursing injuries.

“Before the first match, there are reports of unavailability. The players are Gbamin Jean Philippe, Maxwell Cornet and Wilfried Zaha who are injured,” read a statement on the federation website.

Furthermore, Toure, who recently made his return to the Ivorian national team, has also pulled out of the squad due to personal reasons.

The Manchester City midfielder disclosed the news on his Twitter account.

"Sorry I cannot make the Ivory Coast games this international break. My family needs me at this moment and I hope the fans understand. I wish the team good luck!" Toure tweeted.

Ivory Coast failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals which will be hosted by Russia between June and July.