Ivory Coast still in celebration mode

Cape Town - African Cup champion Ivory Coast will still be celebrating when it returns to action this week, giving a final call-up to retired pair Boubacar Barry and Kolo Toure to allow them to go out in front of a home crowd.

Barry, the goalkeeper who became the star of the penalty shootout victory in last month's African Cup of Nations final, and Toure were both given honorary places in a 28-man squad for friendlies against Angola on Thursday and Equatorial Guinea, the country where they won the African title, on Sunday.

Barry and Toure announced their retirement from international soccer after the African Cup. They will now get to say farewell at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

Ivory Coast coach Herve Renard picked all 23 players from the African Cup as the federation announced it would use the games to honor its winning squad.

That means Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony and Gervinho will also travel for the friendlies.