Three Elephants key men are unavailable through injury: Franck Kessié, the midfielder, Odilon Kossounou, the Atalanta Bergamo centre-back, and Simon Adingra, the Brighton winger. The FIF medical staff are monitoring their progress daily.
The Elephants’ treatment room is filling up. According to Le Journal des Éléphants, three key members of the Ivory Coast national team are simultaneously unavailable through injury this week: Franck Kessié, the midfielder, Odilon Kossounou, the Atalanta Bergamo centre-back, and Simon Adingra, the Brighton winger. A poorly timed pile-up with the decisive November fixtures in the qualifiers approaching.
The medical staff of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) are monitoring the clinical progress of the three Africa champions on a daily basis. The head coach refuses to take the slightest risk of a premature relapse before the international camp.
Kessié struggling, Kossounou and Adingra out for their clubs
Franck Kessié is suffering from a muscular strain that has led his club to protect him in competitive matches. The Elephants captain “could nevertheless make a gentle return as early as next weekend”, according to the same source. A scenario still to be confirmed: the report specifies neither the exact nature of the strain nor any possible withdrawal from the national team.
Odilon Kossounou has a problem in his right thigh and will undergo further tests within 48 hours. Simon Adingra, for his part, is feeling a sharp pain in his adductors, picked up in the last full training session. Both had to pull out of their clubs’ recent continental fixtures.
AFCON 2027 in their sights
These accumulated fitness problems are causing deep concern among Ivorian supporters with AFCON 2027 approaching. The three players, Africa champions, are undisputed key men for the national team. Their simultaneous unavailability, even if temporary, comes as Ivory Coast prepare for their November qualifiers.
The coaching staff were keen to stress their caution: “Our priority isn’t to get players back quickly, it’s to get them back fully fit!”, they told Le Journal des Éléphants / MVP Info. A stance that reflects the desire not to rush the return of the three men.
A November squad list still awaited
The Elephants squad for the November gathering has not yet been published. Kossounou’s further tests are due within 48 hours, but the report gives no length of absence for the three players.
No official withdrawal from the national team has been announced at this stage. For now, the FIF medical staff are continuing their daily monitoring, with no public decision on whether the three players will feature in November.