Nine games left and counting for Chelsea's Drogba - Sport - Evening Standard
       

Nine games left and counting for Chelsea's Drogba

Chelsea have been told they will have striker Didier Drogba for just nine more games before he has to leave for the African Nations Cup.

The Ivory Coast FA said today they will call-up the striker for a training camp in Spain on 7 January and are not prepared to negotiate.

International commitments: Didier Drogba will soon depart Stamford Bridge for African Nations Cup duty

Ivory Coast coach Uli Stielike said: "All our players will go for the whole period. It is not only me who will demand Drogba is there, but the federation president and the whole nation."

Drogba, who has scored nine goals this season, could be away for five weeks along with international team-mate Salomon Kalou.

Along with the Ivory Coast pair, Chelsea will lose Nigeria's John Obi Mikel and Ghana's Michael Essien.

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