The Ivory Coast national team announced that their striker Sébastien Haller will be absent from the Africa Cup of Nations finals, which will begin in Morocco in a few days.

This came after he sustained an injury to his thigh during his last match with his club FC Utrecht in the Dutch league, just before joining the national team camp.

Haller was forced to officially announce his withdrawal from the tournament, prompting the coaching staff of the "Elephants" national team to call up Aston Villa striker Ivan Gesand to strengthen the attacking line during the continental competition.

The Ivory Coast national team is competing in the tournament as part of Group F, which also includes the teams of Cameroon, Mozambique, and Gabon. They aim to achieve positive results despite the absence of one of their key attacking players.