Drogba hits road block in China
Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba will not be able to play for any club during the Chinese Premier League off season after his request for an immediate loan move from Shanghai Shenhua was rejected on Thursday by FIFA.
The 34-year-old striker had wanted to join his former club Chelsea to build his fitness ahead of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations set for next January in South Africa.
“We can confirm that Didier Drogba submitted a request for authorisation to be registered outside an open registration period for a club on a loan basis, but FIFA has informed him about the relevant regulations that players may only be registered during one of the two annual registration periods fixed by the relevant association,” FIFA said in a statement.
FIFA rules state that no player can move outside the international transfer window to complete short-term loan moves.
