Touré on his Cup of Nations quest, life in Premiership

Kolo Touré has been an integral part of Arsenal's success for the past six seasons. Clive Mason/Getty Images

Not surprisingly, Ivory Coast has been perhaps the most inspiring team at the 2008 African Cup of Nations. With European club stars such as Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Eboué, Salomon Kalou and Yaya Touré, the Elephants have one of the most accomplished squads in the 16-team field.

But they've done it largely without arguably their most internationally successful player: Kolo Touré. The defender was injured in the Ivorians' opening match against Benin, but hopes to be a factor in the latter stages of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Touré's club team, Arsenal, has been the pace-setter for most of the English Premier League season. In his six seasons with the Gunners, Touré has become the most durable player on the roster. World Soccer's Ben Wyatt caught up with Touré just before the Cup of Nations kicked off last month.

World Soccer: The timing of the Cup of Nations often raises club vs. country problems. Have you discussed this with your boss at Arsenal?

Kolo Touré: I think [Arsène] Wenger knows that when the call for the national team comes, there is nothing else I can do. It comes from my heart, I can't say that I will not go, it is just not possible. I know the timing of the event is difficult for the clubs, but this is out of the players' hands.

World Soccer: Are you looking forward to teaming up with your brother Yaya at the Cup of Nations?

Touré: It will be fantastic to play with him. He's doing really well at Barcelona and hopefully we can win something together. There are so many good teams from the continent now that the whole competition will be tight. But we believe in ourselves. Two years ago we lost in the final; hopefully, we can go the whole way this time.

World Soccer: Ivory Coast has been in the grip of a civil war in recent years, and recently the national team has played matches in the north of the country, the rebels' stronghold, to try to help unite the nation. Has this had the desired effect?

Touré: Definitely. Football has really saved the country. There have been difficult times in Ivory Coast, but when we play it helps to bring the country together. It is the one thing that can produce this mutual love of the country -- football is really amazing like that, that it can change the life of a nation, and we are really proud about our role in this.

World Soccer: You came through the renowned academy in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan. How did its facilities compare to those at Arsenal?

Touré: It's really dry back in Africa so the pitches are quite different. But I feel very lucky to have been part of the academy, because for Africa, the facilities were very good.

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