On the eve of its entry into the competition, Côte d’Ivoire learned of the suspension of its goalkeeper Sylvain Gbohouo.
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Côte d’Ivoire lost its goalkeeper Sylvain Gbohouo (65 caps), suspended for doping, 24 hours before their first CAN match against Equatorial Guinea in Douala, the Ivorian Football Federation announced on Tuesday.
A FIFA spokesperson confirmed to AFP that the player had been “provisionally suspended for dopingDuring a press conference, the coach of Côte d’Ivoire, the French Patrice Beaumelle, explained that Gbohouo, 33, had tested positive in November after the defeat (1-0) against Cameroon in World Cup qualifier 2022.
The trainer mentioned an ophthalmologic treatment taken by Gbohouo without formally making the link with the positive control. Gbohouo is the number 1 keeper of the “Elephants”, who are among the favorites of the CAN. In 2015, during the edition of the CAN won by the Ivorians, he participated in all matches, except the final against Ghana.
# CAN2021 #FIFA #GBOHOUO pic.twitter.com/Miiu5fH8BO
– FIFCI (@FIFCI_tweet) January 11, 2022
While the suspension weighed on the back of Gbohouo, Patrice Beaumelle had retained four goalkeepers in his list for the CAN. The French coach will thus have the choice between the experienced Badra Ali Sangaré (35 years old, 17 caps) and Abdoul Karim Cissé (36 years old, 6 caps) and the novice Eliezer Ira Tape (24 years old, 0 selection) to replace Gbohouo.