Clément Akpa out of World Cup for Côte d'Ivoire, Christopher Operi called up

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·30 maggio 2026

Clément Akpa out of World Cup for Côte d'Ivoire, Christopher Operi called up

The Ivorian federation announced on Friday that Clément Akpa will miss the World Cup, 11 June to 19 July, due to injury. The AJ Auxerre defender will not feature for the Elephants.

His withdrawal had been expected after he sat out the final Ligue 1 round against LOSC on 17 May with an adductor problem.

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To cover his absence, head coach Émerse Faé has called up Christopher Operi, 29, from the standby list.

The full-back plays for Istanbul Basaksehir, fifth in Türkiye’s top flight, and is familiar with French football after spells at Le Havre and SM Caen.

Capped 11 times by Côte d'Ivoire, Operi has scored two goals and provided six assists this season for the Istanbul club.

Source: L'Équipe