Eriksson names 23-strong Ivory Coast squad

Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson named his final 23 man World Cup squad on Tuesday, dropping Marseille striker Bakari Kone and West Bromwich defender Abdoulaye Meite.

Two other French league players, Emerse Faye (Nice) and Kanga Akele (Lens), were also whittled out of the original squad of 30, Eriksson announced at the team’s training camp in the Swiss Alps at Gstaad.

Of seven sidelined, five were midfielders and forwards who paid the price of strong competition among Ivory Coast’s strike force for the tournament in South Africa.

The West Africans are drawn in Group G with Brazil, North Korea and Portugal.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren/BEL), Aristide Zogbo (Maccabi Netanya/ISR), Daniel Yeboah (ASEC Mimosas/CIV)

Defenders: Kolo Toure (Manchester City/ENG), Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal/ENG), Guy Demel (SV Hamburg/GER), Souleman Bamba (Hibernian/SCO), Benjamin Angoua Brou (Valenciennes/FRA), Arthur Boka (VfB Stuttgart/GER), Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes/FRA), Steve Gohouri (Wigan Athletic/ENG)

Midfielders: Yaya Toure (Barcelona/ESP), Didier Zokora (Sevilla/ESP), Emmanuel Kone (Curtea Arges/ROM), Cheik Ismael Tiote (FC Twente/NED), Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Monaco/FRA), Romaric N’dri Koffi (Sevilla/ESP)

Strikers: Didier Drogba (Chelsea/ENG), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea/ENG), Kader Keita (Galatasaray/TUR), Aruna Dindane (Portsmouth/ENG), Gervinho (Lille/FRA), Seydou Doumbia (Young Boys/SUI)