INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL
Yaya Touré: Man City man pulls out of Ivory Coast friendlies
Touré has withdrawn from the squad to face Togo and Moldova for family reasons, putting his long-awaited international comeback on hold.
Manchester City's Yaya Touré has withdrawn from the Ivory Coast squad for the upcoming friendlies against Togo (March 24) and Moldova (March 27).
The 34-year-old footballer cited family reasons as his motive for pulling out.
"Sorry I cannot make the Ivory Coast games this international break. My family needs me at this moment and I hope the fans understand. I wish the team good luck!” said Touré on his Twitter account on Thursday.
Awaited return
Last week, Touré was named in the Ivory Coast squad for the friendlies in France, in what was to be his return to international football more than three years after his last game for his country.
The midfielder has shunned internationals since leading Les Élephants to the Africa Cup of Nations title in early 2015.
However, in December he made a surprise announcement that he wanted to return, despite his country failing to reach this year’s World Cup.
Cornet, Gbamin and Zaha also out
Meanwhile, the Ivorian Football Federation has revealed that Lyon’s Gbamin Jean Philippe, Mainz’s Maxwell Cornet and Crystal Palace’s Wilfred Zaha have also pulled out of the fixtures, with the trio all sidelined by injury.