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Kalou punished for bust-up

Image: Kalou and Meite: Altercation

Salomon Kalou and Abdoulaye Meite were left out of Ivory Coast's WC qualifier with Guinea after a bust-up.

Chelsea forward and Meite dropped after altercation

Salomon Kalou and Abdoulaye Meite were dropped for Ivory Coast's World Cup qualifier against Guinea as a punishment for fighting in training. The Chelsea forward had an altercation with the West Brom defender prior to the match, resulting in both players missing the clash. The Elephants went into the game knowing that their safe passage to South Africa was already secured but they still managed to put on a show and win 3-0. Despite the duo now putting the incident behind them the Ivorian federation could look to further punish the pair further by failing to select them for the friendly with Germany in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday. "Things got a little heated but we are human and these things can happen to us," Meite said. "But in the end we understood that we have to preserve the spirit in the squad and so it's all forgotten now." Kalou added: "Meite is a big brother, I have apologised and he has accepted it. "It's a pity that it was between Abdoulaye and myself. We were punished and I have accepted that and that's how we move on. "You recognise your mistake and you learn - we've talked and it's over."

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