Khazri switches allegiance to Tunisia

Uncapped French-born midfielder Wahbi Khazri was included in a 25-man squad named by Tunisia on Thursday for the African Nations Cup finals.

The 21-year-old from Bastia completed a switch of international allegiance after playing for France at under-21 level in time to be included for the tournament in South Africa, starting on January 19.

Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi, whose side face Algeria, Ivory Coast and Togo in Group D, will have to cut two players from his selection by the January 9 deadline.

He has retained 14 players from the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the last tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. 

Striker Issam Jemaa plays in a fifth successive Nations Cup finals.

The major absence is French league-winning midfielder Jamel Saihi of Montpellier, who is sidelined with a knee injury.

Squad: 

Goalkeepers: Moez Ben Cherifia (Esperance), Farouk Ben Mustapha (CA Bizertin), Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile Sahel)

Defenders: Aymen Abdennour (Toulouse), Rami Bedoui (Etoile Sahel), Anis Boussaidi (Tavria Simferopol), Khalil Chammam (Esperance), Chamseddine Dhaouadi (Etoile Sahel), Fatah Garbi (CS Sfaxien), Walid Hichri (Esperance), Bilel Ifa (Club Africain)

Midfielders: Hatten Baratli (Club Africain), Wissem Ben Yahia (Mersin Idmanyurdu), Oussama Darragi (FC Sion), Chadi Hammami (Kuwait SC), Wahbi Kharzia (Bastia), Khaled Mouelhi, Youssef Msakni (both Esperance), Abdelkader Oueslati (Atletico Madrid), Mejdi Traoui (Esperance)

Forwards: Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (CS Sfaxien), Zouhair Dhaouadi (Evian Thonon Gaillard), Hamdi Harbaoui (Lokeren), Saber Khlifa (Evian Thonon Gaillard), Issam Jemaa (Kuwait SC).