JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba is unsure of his international future after a shock weekend exit from the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations his country were favoured to win.
Drogba, the 34-year-old former Chelsea striker playing in the African football showcase for the last time, was well policed as Nigeria won the quarter-final 2-1 in north-western mining town Rustenburg.Click on read more to continue...
After a string of failures, there has been widespread media speculation about the futures of ‘golden oldies’ like Drogba, goalkeeper Boubacar Barry and centre-backs Kolo Toure and Didier Zokora.Ivory Coast have been favourites for five consecutive Africa Cup tournaments, but the closest they came was finishing runners-up to 2006 hosts Egypt and 2012 surprise side Zambia.
“It is over,” was the terse response of Drogba to reporters when asked about the Africa Cup of Nations.
In the 2012 final in Gabon, Drogba he blazed over a regular-time penalty, allowing Zambia to force a 0-0 draw after extra time.
But despite Drogba making amends by converting a shootout spot-kick, Zambia won 8-7 on penalties for one of the most stunning Africa Cup final shocks.
“We must now look ahead to the 2014 World Cup qualifying competition — with or without me,” added the striker, who recently signed an 18-month contract with leading Turkish club Galatasaray.
The shattered Ivory Coast stars prepared to head home Monday and turn their attention to the 2014 World Cup qualifying competition, starting with a home fixture against lightweights Gambia late March.
No comments:
Post a Comment