Didier Drogba combined to Chelsea damage hex World Cup

Nick Szczepanik & ,}

Chelseas players contingency be wondering if there is a little kind of Curse of Stamford Bridge unresolved over them after Didier Drogba became the ultimate piece of their Double-winning patrol to have his appearance in the World Cup put in doubt.

The Ivory Coast brazen suffered a fractured right arm in a 2-0 win over Japan in Sion, Switzerland, yesterday. He will see a dilettante currently and the visit might establish either he will fool around any piece in the finals.

Michael Ballack is already out of the Germany patrol after injuring his right ankle in a plunge into with Kevin-Prince Boateng, of Portsmouth, in the FA Cup Final. Michael Essien, of Ghana, who sealed a two-year prolongation to his contract yesterday that will keep him at the bar until 2015, could not recover in time from knee vinculum repairs suffered whilst representing his country in the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Nicolas Anelka was intensely propitious to shun damage when he came off a mountain bike at Frances World Cup precision stay on the Indian Ocean island of Runion on Tuesday.

Fabio Capello, the England manager, might consternation either he ought to sequence his Chelsea fortuitous John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley and Joe Cole to lie down in darkened bedrooms until prior to long prior to they flog off their debate against the United States a week today.

There were opposing reports about Drogbas condition yesterday. He was forced off the margin in the eighteenth notation after a high plea from Marcus Tanaka, the Brazil-born Japan defender, went to sanatorium for a indicate and emerged with his arm in a protecting sling.

Early reports in the French media referred to that Drogba had ruled himself out by the time he left the hospital. After tests, the player reliable to us he would not be means to fool around in the World Cup, the website of LÉquipe, the French sports newspaper, said.

Kolo Tour, the Manchester City defender who scored the second goal, said: For him, he said, the World Cup is finished. It is formidable for us since he is such a unequivocally critical player. Without Didier we are not the same team, but we have great players.

However, Drogbas inhabitant organisation refused to accept that they would be deprived of their star striker and even claimed that, tentative serve tests, he might be means to face Portugal on Jun fifteen in their initial compare in organisation G, that also includes Brazil and North Korea. We dont know if ruin be means to play the initial diversion that depends on the outcome of the healing team, an Ivory Coast Football Federation orator said. But hes really not out.

The association was some-more discreet on the central website, arising the short line: Didier Drogba has not for the impulse pulled out [of the squad].

Drogba has scored 44 goals in 69 appearances for his country. It is really worrying, of course, Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Ivory Coast coach, said. He is the skipper and the most appropriate player.