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Ivory Coast hit by late withdrawals for friendly

Manchester City's Yaya Toure receives the ball from his brother and team mate Kolo Toure (R) during their English Premier League soccer against Tottenham Hotspur match at White Hart Lane in London August 14, 2010. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

ABIDJAN (Reuters) – English Premier League trio Salomon Kalou and the Toure brothers, Kolo and Yaya, became the latest players to withdraw from the Ivory Coast squad for Wednesday’s home friendly against Guinea in Abidjan.

Manchester City’s Yaya Toure receives the ball from his brother and team mate Kolo Toure (R) during their English Premier League soccer against Tottenham Hotspur match at White Hart Lane in London August 14, 2010. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Regular captain Didier Drogba withdrew earlier this week and the striker has since been joined by Chelsea team mate Kalou, the Manchester City duo, and four other Europe-based players, the Ivorian federation said on its website. (www.fif-ci.com)

Five of the eight missing players were injured, according to the federation, including defender Kolo Toure, who has not played since the African Nations Cup final defeat to Zambia on February 12.

Midfielder Yaya Toure traveled to Abidjan after playing for Manchester City on Saturday but has since been ruled out, the federation said, adding administrative problems were behind Kalou’s failure to turn up but gave no further details.

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