Zengue left out of Burkina Faso squad

Defender Herve Zengue has been left out of the Burkina Faso squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Cameroonian-born Zengue, whose eligibility is being contested by Namibia, was omitted by coach Paolo Duarte when he named his initial 25-man squad.

CAF earlier threw out the Namibia Football Association (NFA) case against the 27-year-old Terek Grozny player and cleared Burkina Faso to participate in the showpiece next year.

But the NFA has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will either confirm Burkina Faso’s qualification or strip them in favour of Namibia.

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport will pronounce their ruling between January 3-10. We are confident but remain cautious,” Burkina Faso Football Federation (FBF) said.

Wilfried Sanou and Madi Panandetiguiri, who were both part of the Burkina Faso team at the previous Afcon, were also dropped, while Robert Sankara, Stephane Agbre and Issa Gouo were called up for the first time, as well as Bertrand Traore from Chelsea’s youth academy.

The list with be cut to 23 by the end of the team’s two-week training camp in Cameroon, which begins on January 4.

Burkina Faso are matched with Ivory Coast, Sudan and Angola in Group A, which will be played in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.