Italian club Fiorentina has officially announced the diagnosis of their Ivorian player Christian Kouame with malaria.
The club clarified that the player has been transferred to the hospital to receive appropriate treatment, as per the official statement.
Kouame participated in Ivory Coast’s triumph in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 by defeating Nigeria in the final of the tournament hosted by his country.
The 26-year-old player featured in four matches with the Elephants in the tournament but missed out on the semi-final and final.
Kouame, who donned the purple jersey of Fiorentina, appeared in 22 matches, scoring one goal and assisting another.
Malaria spreads through mosquitoes and is not contagious. Symptoms typically appear seven to 18 days after infection.
This is not the first case of malaria affecting the ranks of Ivory Coast players, as Bournemouth’s Hamed Traore missed out on the tournament due to the same illness.
Traore was present in Ivory Coast’s camp in November last year but returned to England and missed matches due to the illness, resulting in his absence from the tournament where his country emerged victorious.
