Jean Evrard Kouassi ‘turns down China naturalisation’ to chase Ivory Coast dream
- Uncapped Wuhan Zall player moved to Chinese Super League with Shanghai SIPG in 2015, so meets residency criteria
- The 26-year-old missed AFCON Qualifiers as CSL side would not let him leave as they fought for survival
Wuhan Zall striker Jean Evrard Kouassi has said that he was approached to play for China but refused as it remains his childhood dream to play for his native Ivory Coast.
The 26-year-old was back home in Abidjan where he spoke to La3 Radio, as reported by the Africa Top Sports website on Tuesday.
Kouassi, who has been in China since February, 2015, when he signed with Shanghai SIPG, has now met his five-year residency requirement and is eligible to play for the national team.
The striker has yet to play for the Ivory Coast national team, although he was called up for their most recent African Cup of Nations Qualifiers in November.
They played a double-header against Madagascar last month but Kouassi was not released by his club as they had their all-important survival bid and Fifa had relaxed rules on releasing players.