Didier Zokora has revealed he was nervous earlier this week when World Cup squads had to be trimmed to 23 players, despite being a regular fixture in a the Ivory Coast team.

The Sevilla midfielder was eventually named by Sven-Goran Eriksson and is expected to play a key role for the Elephants in South Africa having switched to a new defensive role. However, the 29-year-old says he was still worried about making the final squad list.

"Even though I am one of the senior members of the team, we must not lose sight that there is strong competition for places in the team," said Zakora.