Ivory Coast announces 27-man AFCON squad with surprise omission of Wilfried Zaha

By: Yaw Opoku Amoako

29th December 2023

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Hosts Ivory Coast have revealed their 27-man squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, and there are unexpected omissions, notably former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

Ivory Coast manager Patrice Gasset has assembled a squad that includes English-based players such as Nottingham Forest trio Willy Boly, Ibrahim Sangare, and Serge Aurier, along with Brighton and Hove Albion striker Simon Adingra and Hull City's Jean Michael Seri.

However, the surprise exclusion of Wilfried Zaha, who has made only two appearances for the national team this year, has raised eyebrows.

The Ivory Coast squad is well-balanced, comprising three goalkeepers, eight defenders, six midfielders, and 10 attackers.

Gasset will lead his team in a friendly against Sierra Leone on January 6 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro as part of their preparations for the tournament.

The Elephants will kick off their AFCON campaign against Guinea-Bissau on January 13, followed by matches against Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea in Group A.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers:


  1. Yahia Fofana (SCO Angers)

  2. Badra Ali (Sekhukhune Utd)

  3. Ayayi Folly (ASEC Mimos)
Defenders:

  1. Willy Boly (Nottingham)

  2. Chester Diallo (Hadjuk)

  3. Ousmande Diomande (Sporting)

  4. Odilon Kossounou (Leverkusen)

  5. Evan Ndicka (Roma)

  6. Ghislain Konan (Al-Fayha)

  7. Serge Aurier (Nottingham)

  8. Wilfried Singo (Monaco)
Midfielders:

  1. Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham)

  2. Doumbia Idrissa (Ah Ahli)

  3. Franck Kessie (Al-Ahli)

  4. Jean Michael Seri (Hull)

  5. Seko Fofana (Al Nassr)

  6. Lazare Amani (Union SG)
Forwards:

  1. Sebastien Haller (Dortmund)

  2. Karim Konate (Salzburg)

  3. Jean-Philippe Krasso (Etoile Rouge)

  4. Max-Alain Gradel (Gaziantep)

  5. Christian Kouame (Fiorentina)

  6. Jonathan Bamba (Celta Vigo)

  7. Oumar Diakite (Reims)

  8. Jeremie Boga (OGC Nice)

  9. Nicolas Pepe (Trabzonspor)

  10. Simon Adingra (Brighton)

With a talented pool of players at his disposal, Gasset aims to guide the Elephants to impressive displays on home soil and mount a strong bid for the AFCON trophy.

The surprising absence of Zaha adds an element of intrigue to Ivory Coast's campaign.

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