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It looks like the African World Cup will be played without two of the continent's three biggest stars.Ghana's Michael Essien was ruled out last week because of his lingering knee injury. And now Didier Drogba, Essien's Chelsea teammate and the Ivory Coast captain who many believe is the best striker in the world, appears to have been sidelined as well.
Drogba reportedly suffered a fractured right elbow during Ivory Coast's friendly with Japan on Friday in Switzerland. He had lifted his team into the lead when his 15th-minute free kick deflected in off Japan defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka, but left the field just five minutes later after a collision with the same player. Drogba, 32, was taken to a Sion hospital.
"It's a fracture in his arm. The doctor hasn't said yet whether he can play in the World Cup," an Ivory Coast spokesperson said, while Ivory Coast coach (and former England coach) Sven-Goran Eriksson told reporters that Tanaka was not at fault: "It was unlucky. It wasn't bad or stupid. He didn't want to hurt anyone. Football is a game of contact."
Drogba arguably is African soccer's biggest star, and his loss would be devastating to both his country and the continent's hope that one of its teams makes a deep run in the tournament. He has an astonishing 44 goals in just 69 games for Les Éléphants, and his 37 for double-winners Chelsea last season demonstrates the kind of form he was on heading into the World Cup.
Ivory Coast already had its work cut out, thanks to a draw that placed it in a group with both Brazil and Portugal. But with the unstoppable Drogba leading the attack, many fancied Les Éléphants' chances to beat out the Portuguese and advance. That seems far less likely now, although Eriksson still has Chelsea's Salomon Kalou and Barcelona's Yaya Touré at his disposal.
More significantly, an event that was supposed to celebrate African soccer has been gutted of a pair of its most gifted African players. It must be agonizing for them, and it's sad for fans who hoped to see that history (not to mention a competition featuring the sport's top talent.) This World Cup already was missing Essien, David Beckham, Michael Ballack and Ronaldinho (strange coach's decision). Losing Drogba is a heavy blow.
Samuel Eto'o should be locked in a safe until Cameroon plays Japan on June 14.
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