Burkina Faso coach Paulo Duarte has released his list of players invited to face South Africa in the fifth matchday of the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers billed for October 7 at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
The Stallions key players such as Bakary Koné, Charles Kaboré, Alain and Bertrand Traoré and Aristide Bancé made the cut as expected but the team’s onetime playmaker Jonathan Pitroipa, now a free agent, and injured Jonathan Zongo, were ignored.
Adama Guira and Bakary Saré made their return while Mohamed Gnontcha Koné of Lokomotiv Tashkent (Uzbekistan) was handed his debut call-up.
Burkina Faso currently top Group D with 6 points, same point as second-placed Cape Verde, who have an inferior goal difference, while Senegal are third placed with 5 points, leaving South Africa at bottom of the lot with one point.
Burkina Faso this week filed an official complaint to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) demanding the cancellation of Fifa’s decision for a replay of South Africa vs. Senegal in the World Cup qualifiers.
The world’s football governing body annulled South Africa vs. Senegal earlier meeting of November 12, 2016 due to poor officiating, with the referee of the match Joseph Lamptey from Ghana handed a lifetime ban.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Moussa Germain Sanou (Beauvais, France), Daouda Diakité (Vita club, DR Congo), Hervé Kouakou Koffi (Lille, France)
Defenders : Dylan Ouédraogo (Monaco U19, France), Issouf Paro (Niort, France), Bakary Koné (Strasbourg, France), Mohamed Ouattara (Wac Casablanca, Morocco), Yacouba Coulibaly (Le Havre, France), Steeve Yago (Toulouse FC, France)
Midfielders : Ibrahim Blati Touré (Omonia Nicosi, Cyprus), Charles Kaboré (Krasnodar, Russia), Alain Traoré (Al Markhiya sport, Qatar), Aziz Stéphane Ki (Omonia Nicosia, Cyprus), Mohamed Gnontcha Koné (lokomotiv Tashkent, Uzbekistan), Adama Guira (AGF, Denmark), Bakary Saré, (Bélénenses, Portugal), Ousmane junior Sylla (CS Constantine, Algeria)
Forwards: Cyrille Bayala (Sheriff Tiraspol, Moldavia), Anthony Koura (Nancy, France), Préjuce Nakoulma (Nantes, France), Aristide Bancé (Al Masry, Egypt), Bertrand Traoré (Lyon, France), Banou Diawara (Smouha, Egypt), Yaya Banhoro (Santos, Brazil).
