Former Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba has been informed that he is not eligible to stand in the September 5 election for the next president of the Ivory Coast Football Federation (FIF).
Along with three others, Drogba submitted papers to stand in the polls earlier this month.
According to the Ivory Coast Football Federation (FIF) Electoral Commission, Drogba failed to meet a number of conditions in its eligibility criteria.
The FIF’s Electoral Commission ruled that the former Chelsea striker did not fulfil its long list of eligibility criteria.
His bid was rejected as two of the names he had submitted as his sponsors were ruled not to have the necessary authority to do so.
Consequently, Drogba only has the support of two top-tier Ivorian clubs rather than the three that FIF requested.
FIF’s current first vice president Sory Diabate and Yacine Idriss Diallo, a former FIF 3rd vice-president, are the candidates left in contention after another application by Paul Koffi Kouadio was also rejected.
Drogba and Kouadio both now have five days to appeal against the decision.
The rejection will come as a bitter blow to football fans in Ivory Coast, thousands of whom had come out to support him earlier this month when he submitted his bid to stand.
Drogba played more than 100 times for the Elephants including at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and as well as Chelsea he played for French giants Marseille, Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua and Galatasaray in Turkey.
