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Wilfried Zaha Switches International Allegiance To Cote D’Ivoire

Wilfried Zaha Switches International Allegiance To Cote D’Ivoire

Crystal Palace attacking player Wilfried Zaha has made the decision to switch international allegiance from England to Cote D’Ivoire, submitting an application to FIFA in order to represent the Elephants on the international stage.

The 24-year-old winger was born in Abidjan but moved to the UK when he was only 4, growing up in the country and eventually representing the English national team.

He earned two caps for the side in 2013, but because both appearances as a substitute came in friendly matches and not competitive encounters, he is able to confirm a switch to his country of birth, pending approval from world football’s governing body.

The former Manchester United player also represented the English Under-21 team on 13 occasions, but he has now decided against remaining available for selection for the Three Lions.

In a statement, the Ivorian Football Federation confirmed the fact that Zaha had appealed to FIFA for a nationality switch.

Wilfried Zaha’s switch in time for AFCON

The switch comes a couple of months before the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which is set to be held in Gabon this January, and if FIFA approves his request in time, he may join the Elephants in their quest to defend the title they won in 2015.

Palace coach Alan Pardew may not be too pleased to be losing out on the player during the AFCON, but Ivorian national team tactician Michel Dussuyer will be boosted by the development.

Cote D’Ivoire have experienced a few notable setbacks ahead of the Nations Cup.

Talented attacking player Gervinho suffered a knee cruciate ligament rupture in training with his Chinese Super League side, Hebei Fortune at the end of October, ruling him out of the tournament in January.

Former captain and four-time African Player of the Year Yaya Toure is also unavailable for the side, as he decided to retire from the national team a few months before their title defence.

Zaha’s addition to the team will therefore go some way to strengthening their attacking prospects ahead of the competition in Gabon.

Cote d’Ivoire have been drawn in Nations Cup Group D alongside Togo, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Elephants begin their title defence with an encounter against Togo on Monday, January 16.