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africanews

Ivorian striker Didier Drogba on Sunday insisted that he had not given up on his international career with the west African nation. "Each time they call me up, I'll be there," the 32-year-old Chelsea hit man told French Television Channel, TF1.

Drogba, scorer of 45 goals in his 71 appearances for Ivory Coast, was omitted from new coach Francois Zahoui's 21-strong squad for an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda in Abidjan on Saturday.

The Chelsea goal-hunter surprisingly stormed Abidjan on the eve of the Amavubi encounter, receiving a fanfare reception at the Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport from hundreds of fans. He was seen at the stadium, watching his former team-mates from the bleachers, only to explain his intentions of the visit to the press later on. “I came here to give my support to the team and silence a lot of rumours,” Drogba told Telefoot. “I’ve always been part of this team and we’ve done some great things together. I wanted to let everyone know my heart is still here and I throw my full support behind the team.”

Zahoui said at the time after talks with Drogba, he deemed the striker "not psychologically ready to play the game."

Attendance for Saturday’s match was considerably poor. Some analysts attributed this to Drogba’s not playing while others felt it was due to the ongoing Muslim fast, which deterred some fans from attending owing to fatigue and dehydration.

Manchester City’s Yaya Touré, Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou and Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboué’s scored the three goals for Cote D’Ivoire against Rwanda.