ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba has hope of playing in the World Cup after having surgery on his broken right arm in a Swiss hospital Saturday.
The Ivory Coast football federation (FIF) said in a statement the operation at the Lindenhof Hospital in Berne was a success and Swiss doctors and the team's medical staff are confident that the Chelsea forward will make a "speedy recovery."
The federation did not give further details about the time required for Drogba's recovery. Ivory Coast's first game is June 15 against Portugal.
"The FIF thank the sporting world and all those in the Ivory Coast, in Africa and throughout the world who have shown their support to Didier Drogba and the Ivory Coast," read a statement on the FIF website.
"He's not at all out of the World Cup. He can still play. We don't know if he will be able to play the first game — that depends on the verdict of the medical team. But he's definitely not out [of the tournament].''
Drogba broke his arm in an exhibition match against Japan on Friday.