Gervinho cops two-match ban

Malabo - Ivory Coast star Gervinho has been handed a two-game ban following his sending-off in the 1-1 Africa Cup of Nations draw with Guinea in Malabo on Tuesday, the Confederation of African Football announced.

The suspension means the 27-year-old will miss the Elephants' remaining Group D games against Mali and Cameroon and will only feature again at the competition if his side reach the quarter-finals.

Gervinho was shown a straight red card in the second half of the Group D game for hitting out at Guinea's Naby Keita.

On Wednesday, the Roma forward took to Twitter to say: "I would like to apologise to the Ivorian nation, to my team-mates, to the supporters and to the organisers of the CAN for this angry gesture which is totally out of character and evidently has no place on a football pitch."

Without him, Herve Renard's side came from a goal down to earn a point thanks to a strike from substitute Seydou Doumbia.