7 December 2007
Lagos — Benin has ended its bid to get Philippe Troussier take charge of the Squirrels for their Nations Cup showdown with the Super Eagles even as injury threatens to prevent Cote d'Ivoire's skipper Didier Drogba from gracing the tournament kicking off next month in Ghana.
The Squirrels face the Eagles, Cote d'Ivoire and Mali in a tough group and the Benin federation had hoped that the man populary called 'white witchdoctor' would have been able to weave his magic to help them progress to the next round.
But both parties failed to reach agreement on the terms of the contract being offered the well-travelled Frenchman, who been out of job for two years.
Troussier's insistence that he wanted to take charge of Benin only for three months proved the stumbling block. The West African country's Sports Minister Ganiou Soglo said the country wanted a coach for a longer period.
Meanwhile, the Elephants face the prospect of heading to Ghana without their inspirational skipper Drogba after it was revealed that the Chelsea striker faces knee surgery that could rule him out for "several months".
According to a report in The Times newspaper yesterday the Ivorian is believed to have had a scan on Wednesday that revealed degeneration in his left meniscus, which requires surgery.
However, with Drogba due to leave Stamford Bridge next month for African Nations Cup duty with Cote d'Ivoire, it remains to be seen whether Chelsea will opt to place their striker under the knife immediately or ask him to struggle on during the critical Christmas period.
The newspaper reported that Chelsea's medical staff spoke to the player and examined his performance in training yesterday before advising the club's manager Avram Grant of the best course of action.
If Drogba is deemed not fit enough to face Sunderland on tomorrow it is thought they are likely to recommend an operation as soon as possible.
The situation is further complicated by Drogba's understandable reluctance to risk his long-term health as well as his desire to represent his country.
An operation would rule the Ivorian out of action for a minimum of five weeks, meaning it is distinctly conceivable that Drogba will not play again for Chelsea until February.
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