Didier Drogba not out of the World Cup, insist Ivory Coast

Drogba, 32, suffered a broken arm against Japan on Friday

Didier Drogba has had successful surgery on a broken arm and will be able to play at least some part in the World Cup according to Ivory Coast officials.

The Chelsea striker, who suffered the injury in a warm-up match against Japan on Friday, was immediately given specialist attention and underwent surgery earlier today.

The Ivory Coast Federation (FIF) have since announced that the operation was “successful.”

“Following the fracture of the ulna which Didier Drogba suffered in the international friendly between Japan and the Ivory Coast, on June 4 in Sion, the national team captain was today, Saturday June 5, admitted to the Lindenhof hospital in Berne,” read a statement on the FIF website.

“He’s not at all out of the World Cup. He can still play. We don’t know if he will be able to play the first game – that depends on the verdict of the medical team. But he’s definitely not out [of the tournament].”

Ivory Coast’s first World Cup match is against Portugal on 15 June in Port Elizabeth.