Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba appears to be winning his race against time to be fit to play in today’s World Cup Group G curtain raiser against Portugal in Port Elizabeth.
Ivory Coast has sought permission for the star striker to be allowed to play in a plaster cast on his broken right arm, manager Sven-Goran Eriksson revealed yesterday.
If Drogba does play it would represent a remarkably swift recovery from the injury — which required surgery — he suffered in a warmup match against Japan on June 4.
Drogba, who plays for English club Chelsea, is hoping to wear a lightweight cast on his arm, but Eriksson said he is unsure if FIFA, the sport’s governing body, will permit it. The arm support was inspected by FIFA officials yesterday, including today’s match referee, Uruguay’s Jorge Larrionda.
“I hope he can play [today], but I am not sure about it,” Eriksson said. “Probably we will take the decision if he will start the game or not start a couple of hours beforehand.”
Drogba’s teammate, Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure said, “We need him back. Didier’s a very important player for us. He’s our captain, we need him. His situation is complicated, but we will find out if he can play [today].”