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Zaha
with Augustin Sidy Diallo, left, President of the Ivorian Football Federation,
and national team manager Michel Dussuyer, right. Fedivoir.com
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Crystal Palace winger
Wilfried Zaha has submitted a request to FIFA to swap his international
allegiance from England to Côte d'Ivoire.
BBC
News report continues:
Abidjan-born
Zaha grew up in England and won two caps for the Three Lions, but because they
were in friendly games he is allowed to switch.
Zaha,
24, would be eligible to feature in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
The
tournament in Gabon, which starts on 14 January, could see Zaha miss up to six
weeks of the season for Palace.
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Wilfried
Zaha won the second of his two England caps in a friendly against Scotland in
August 2013
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A
Côte d'Ivoire Football Federation statement said
Zaha had sent a letter to FIFA on Sunday requesting a nationality change.
Palace
boss Alan Pardew said on Friday that Zaha had been "pushed forward,
probably by his agent or people around him" to make the change but could
"understand his frustration" at not being picked for England.
"There
aren't many other English players who can beat players like he does in the
Premier League. Some do, but they're not English," Pardew said.
Zaha
won his first cap for England as an 84th-minute substitute in England's
4-2 friendly defeat by Sweden in November 2012.
He
also came off the bench for the final 15 minutes of England's 3-2 victory
over Scotland in a Wembley friendly in August 2013.
Zaha, who permanently rejoined Palace from Manchester United in February 2015, also made 13 appearances for England at Under-21 level.
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