Drogba to rejoin Ivory Coast; World Cup status still unclear

Drogba to rejoin Ivory Coast; World Cup status still unclear

Published Jun. 7, 2010 5:10 p.m. ET

Didier Drogba rejoined his Ivory Coast teammates at their Alpine training camp on Monday with a cast protecting his broken right arm.

Team spokesman Eric Kacou said it's not known when Drogba can resume training after the squad arrives in South Africa on Thursday, or if he will play at the World Cup.

FIFA rules allow Ivory Coast to wait until next Monday - 24 hours before its opening match against Portugal in Port Elizabeth - before deciding whether to replace the inspirational captain.

Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has said he's hopeful that Drogba can still play a part in the tournament.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ivory Coast completes its Group H program against Brazil at Soccer City, Johannesburg, on June 20 and North Korea five days later in Nelspruit.

Surgeons operated on Drogba in the Swiss capital Bern on Saturday.

The 32-year-old forward was injured in a challenge with Japan defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka early in Ivory Coast's 2-0 victory in a warmup match at Sion last Friday.

Drogba will be on the bench backing his teammates when they play Swiss second-division side Lausanne Sports in a practice match at Nyon on Tuesday, Kacou said.

share