Plane trouble grounds Ivory Coast squad

Published: 14 Nov 2011 - 21:16:47

Rss feed

The high-profile friendly between African giants Senegal and Ivory Coast, set to be played on Tuesday, was called off on Monday at the request of the Ivorians, the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) announced.

According to the FSF the Ivorians demanded the match -- due to be played in Amiens in the north of France -- be cancelled after their flight from South Africa on Sunday was unable to leave because of technical problems.

"Given the uncertainty about the presence of all the Ivorian squad in Amiens in time for Tuesday, the Ivorian Federation president preferred to call-off the match," said Ndeye Dome Thiouf, head of communciations for the FSF.

Thiouf added that the match could be re-scheduled for a date in January in Dubai as preparations for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations hot up.

The biennial African football showpiece runs from January 21 to February 12 and is being co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Senegal has been drawn in Group A alongside Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Zambia, while Ivory Coast are in Group B, with Burkina Faso, Sudan and 2010 hosts Angola.