Ivory Coast soccer association election postponed

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) - The Ivory Coast soccer association said Wednesday it has indefinitely postponed an election to choose a new president because of what it called 'œserious shortcomings'ť in the electoral process.

The election, which was planned for Sept. 5, has been hit by a series of problems.

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is one of the candidates to lead the association but he was initially refused permission to stand because his candidature wasn't backed by the West African country's players' association. Drogba has since received the support he needed from several clubs in Ivory Coast.

The 42-year-old Drogba, Ivory Coast's former captain and all-time leading goalscorer, drew a huge crowd when he submitted his papers at the federation building at the start of the month.

Two others have applied to contest the election, outgoing executive committee member Sory Diabate and former federation vice president Idris Diallo. The electoral commission was due to confirm the final list of candidates this week.

The association will hold a general assembly meeting on Aug. 29.

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