Yaya Toure hospitalised in Abu Dhabi
Reigning African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure is currently receiving treatment for cough and fever at a clinic in Abu Dhabi where Ivory Coast are fine tuning for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
The Ivorian delegation arrived in the United Arab Emirates capital on Saturday from Paris, where the group joined officials from Abidjan before their final trip.
Toure was exempted from their inaugural training session on Sunday, while the team’s medical staff said all hands were on deck to restore the player’s health but refused to say when he would probably be fit to return to training.
The Elephants opened workshop on Sunday afternoon at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium under the direction of coach Sabri Lamouchi, who said he was confident of his outfit’s experience and improvisation but that the players’ physical form was worrisome.
Team captain Didier Drogba was excused from the session after he suffered a light headache, which Lamouchi said played down on when the group returned to their Rocco Forte Hotel at the end of the session.
Ivory Coast will play a friendly match against Egypt on January 14 before flying to South Africa two days later for the showpiece set for kick off on January 19.
