Drogba's sad exit

A week before it starts, Africa’s World Cup has its first unmitigated disaster.

It was revealed Friday that the injury which forced Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba out of Thursday’s friendly against Japan is a broken arm.

Though team doctors have not yet officially ruled Drogba out of the competition, it’s clear that his World Cup is over.

A gentle suggestion for Tulio Tanaka, the Japanese player whose ridiculous flying challenge caused this mess: Best to cancel that post-tournament African vacation.

Drogba is Ivory Coast’s best player. Most would agree that – along with England’s Wayne Rooney and Spain’s Fernando Torres – he is the best striker in the world. On an athletic level, Drogba cannot be replaced.

And that may be the lesser of his talents. The 32-year-old has become a symbol of reconciliation and a prime mover for peace inside his home country and throughout Africa.

Born into one of the most fractious and violent nations on Earth, Drogba once healed Ivory Coast’s divisions by asking.

After his team qualified for the last World Cup in Germany, in October, 2005, Drogba stunned the nation with a post-match plea. As live television cameras rolled amid celebrations in the Ivorian dressing room, Drogba asked for a microphone and dropped to his knees.

Following five years of continuous guerrilla war, he begged the nation’s rebel faction to stop fighting. Within a week, they did.

“It was just something I did instinctively,” he told London’s Telegraph later. “All the players hated what was happening to our country and reaching the World Cup was the perfect emotional wave on which to ride.”

Two years later, when the negotiations between the government and the rebels stalled, Drogba had another idea. He proposed that the Ivorian national team play a match in the rebel stronghold of Bouake. He did not consult the government. He presented the idea publicly as a fait accompli. Nobody dared to contradict him.

The prime minister came along with the team. Before the match, Drogba presented him with a pair of cleats emblazoned with the words ‘Together for Peace’. Even the rebel soldiers cheered.

Ivory Coast beat Madagascar 5-0. The headline across the nation’s main newspaper the next day read, “Five goals to erase five years of war.”

The credit went entirely to Drogba, cementing both the peace and his own growing reputation as one of Africa’s brightest lights.

This year, Time magazine put him on its cover alongside Bill Clinton and Steve Jobs, citing him as one of the world’s 100 most influential people.

Most expect that once his athletic career ends, he will run for president of Ivory Coast. If Nelson Mandela is Africa’s face, it will likely be Drogba who inherits that mantle.

In the lead-up to the World Cup in South Africa, Drogba’s mug has been plastered over billboards across the continent. He’s a high-profile pitchman for Pepsi and Nike. He’s the guy selling the new Africa to the rest of the world.

Now he’s gone. It seems doubly cruel when you consider that Africa has only three massive football celebrities.

One of them – Michael Essien of Ghana – was pulled out of the tournament days ago because of injury.

The third – Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o – has been consumed by a juvenile media battle with a former Cameroonian star Roger Milla. Only last week, he threatened to skip the World Cup altogether.

This World Cup is only nominally about sport. The hope across Africa is that this is a chance for a reintroduction, a chance to change the world’s perceptions.

The party will go on. South Africa in particular and Africa in general will still shine for their guests.

But they will have to do so without their most dazzling host.

Comments

[snacker]

How bad is the broken arm? If he doesn't need surgery he still has atleast a week to get ready...its funny, a hockey player looses 7 teeth and comes back for his next shift, but this guy will be out all tourney with a fractured arm? A striker no less...come on now.

[Warren Z]

Wow. Karma IS a bitch.

[David Mayerovitch]

Your headline on this top-of-the-home-page story was "Tragic loss for World Cup, Drogba an African soccer icon". I immediately assumed he had suddenly died. If you use "tragic" for a broken arm, what words do you have left for reporting a death?

[Mogat]

Good post, and while it is undoubtably sad that Drogba will miss Africa´s first World Cup, I think it should be noted that despite all of his great work outside of the game and his undoubtable talent he is also one of, if not the biggest cheat in the game.

On the pitch he is famous for diving, feigning injury, intimidating referees, arguing with teammates, and violent play when things don´t go his way.

So while he will be missed as an ambassador to the game and for his natural talent, I for one won´t miss his on the field antics.

[bonnieharben]

This is absolutely devestating! I have been hopeful that Cote d'Ivoire would pull off an upset and make it through to the finals, with Drogba leading the way. It is time for the world to have a champion outside of Europe and South America.

However, knowing Drogba he will play. I cannot see him sitting this out.

[kennyb]

Geez, the guy broke his arm...unfortunate, yes...sad, yes but tragic, gimme a break!

[confused]

isn't soccer played with your feet? can't he just put a cast on his arm and continue to play??

[Carvalho]

Love this news!!! I hope he is out as this will make it easier on Portugal and their first game...

[Yomi Olalere]

Although the mentioned players are great guys on the pitch however, there are other major and well known soccer players in Africa. The likes of Kanu Nwakwo, Lukman Haruna, Mikel Obi, all from Nigeria.

[ishmael daro]

Hopefully there's a way he can still play in the World Cup. I think a lot of people, myself included, want this to be the "coming out" party for Africa that the Beijing Olympics were for China, at least in terms of perception if not economics.

[Adrian]

This reminds me of Van Persie's injury that put him out of the play for the better part of this season for Arsenal. An injury inflicted in an international friendly against Italy. Unfortunately, Drogba is that player on the pitch who could score 4 goals quite easily against a lesser squad like Japan. One of the best players in the world to be sure.

[Matt]

You cant use your hands anyway. good old Drogba, biggest whiner ever.