Rahman out of Nations Cup as injury toll mounts

By Mark Gleeson

LIBREVILLE ( Reuters) - Ghana defender Baba Rahman and two Burkina Faso players were ruled out of the African Nations Cup finals on Thursday, adding to a growing list of early injury casualties from the tournament in Gabon.

Burkina Faso's Jonathan Pitroipa was ruled out with a muscle tear while team mate Jonathan Zongo suffered a cruciate ligament rupture.

The 22-year-old Rahman, who is on loan from Chelsea at Bundesliga side Schalke 04 this season, may require surgery for a knee ligament injury he suffered in his team’s 1-0 win over Uganda in their opening Group D match on Tuesday.

“Rahman suffered a rupture of the meniscus and a particular tear of the anterior cruciate ligament with fluid collection in the left knee," said Ghana team doctor Adam Baba.

The injury is likely to rule him out for the rest of the season.

Pitroipa’s injury is a major blow for the Burkinabe. He was voted the best player at the 2013 Nations Cup finals in South Africa but a muscle tear has ended his participation and he faces three weeks on the sidelines.

Zongo ruptured a cruciate ligament and has left Gabon to have surgery in Barcelona. He is likely to be out for up to seven months.

Burkina Faso coach Paulo Duarte said it was a major blow but called the injuries “unlucky and part of football” when asked whether pitch conditions at the tournament were to blame.

The latest spate of injuries came after hosts Gabon said on Wednesday that key midfielder Mario Lemina and fullback Johann Obiang would not recover in time to continue at the tournament.

Juventus midfielder Lemina hurt his back in Gabon's opening game when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Guinea Bissau and missed Wednesday’s draw with Burkina Faso. He will be out for around two weeks. Obiang suffered a knee injury on Wednesday.

(Editing by Toby Davis)