Why was Wilfried Zaha dropped from Ivory Coast squad for AFCON 2023?

Wilfried Zaha has been representing Ivory Coast since 2017

The African Cup of Nations 2023 will take place in Ivory Coast and the qualified nations have announced their final squads ahead of the tournament.

Hosts Ivory Coast also announced their team and there were some big decisions made by the manager in team selection.

Galatasaray star Wilfried Zaha missed out on making the final squad after being included in Jean-Louis Gasset’s provisional 53-man squad.

There were questions on Zaha’s selection in the provisional squad as well. The Galatasaray forward, who made his debut for the Elephants in 2017, has been a huge controversial figure since joining up with the 2023 AFCON hosts as many are not too pleased with his time in the national team.

According to Sports News Africa, ex-Ivory Coast player Guy Demel believes Zaha would be a distraction for the 2015 AFCON winners heading into the tournament.

“He hasn’t been regular with the national team. When it comes to extra-sporting matters, things happen. If I were Jean-Louis Gasset, I wouldn’t take him on.”

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Zaha, who started his career in England and has played for the Three Lions youth teams, switched to playing for Ivory Coast in 2017 and has made 33 appearances for the Elephants.

His only two appearances for the nation came in friendly matches. The winger missed Ivory Coast’s African Cup of Nations qualifiers and last month’s first round of World Cup qualifying. The lack of playing time and missing crucial matches cost Zaha a place in the final tournament.

Ivory Coast have a strong line-up heading into the tournament. Most players in the squad either play for a top European club or some other club on the globe. The hosts will look to win their third title in front of their fans.

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