Romaric left out of Ivory Coast squad

Didier Drogba, who participates in his fourth successive continental championship, leads the 25-man squad that includes Chelsea team mate Salomon Kalou and newly crowned African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure.

Romaric, who played in all three matches for the Ivorians at the World Cup finals in South Africa 18 months ago, failed to make the cut when the squad was announced at an Abidjan news conference.

Instead coach Francois Zahoui selected uncapped 28-year-old Marco Ne from Russian club Kuban Krasnodar.

A total of 17 of the 23 players from the last World Cup are retained for the Nations Cup, giving the Elephants an air of consistency.

Two players will be cut from the squad by the January 11 deadline for all 16 participants at the tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to name final selections for the three-week event, which starts on January 21.

The Ivorians are among the pre-tournament favourites and face Angola, Burkina Faso and Sudan in their opening round group.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren, Belgium), Gerard Gnanhouan (US Avranches, France), Ibrahim Kone (Boulogne-sur-Mer, France), Daniel Yeboah (ASEC Abidjan)

Defenders: Arthur Boka (VfB Stuttgart, Germany), Benjamin Brou Angoua (Valenciennes, France), Souleymane Bamba (Leicester City, England), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray, Turkey), Igor Lolo (Kuban Krasnodar, Russia), Siaka Tiene (Paris Saint-Germain), Kolo Toure (Manchester City, England), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor, Turkey)

Midfielders: Kafoumba Coulibaly (Nice, France), Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Orduspor, Turkey), Max Gradel (Saint-Etienne, France), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover 96, Germany), Marco Ne (Kuban Krasnodar, Russia), Cheick Tiote (Newcastle United, England), Yaya Toure (Manchester City)

Forwards: Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arnhem, Netherlands), Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Didier Drogba (Chelsea, England), Gervinho (Arsenal, England), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea), Abdelkader Keita (Al Sadd, Qatar).