CELTIC starlet Vakoun Issouf Bayo has been forced to fork out for his own air fare to play for the Ivory Coast Under 23s this week because the cash-strapped African nation have a financial crisis.

The striker was bought by Brendan Rodgers in January in a £2 million deal after netted 18 goals in 23 games this season for Dunajska Streda, but has yet to make any kind of impact for the Hoops so far.

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This week, he's off to Africa to play for his country's Under 23s team in an Olympic qualifier against Niger tomorrow.

But he was stunned to be told by the Ivorian Football Federation that he must pay for the cost of Air France tickets from Glasgow to Abidjan, where the game is being paid.

He's been promised the money will be paid back to him later this week, but it's a highly unusual situation for the player.

A statement from the IFF said: "All players who paid for air tickets will be fully reimbursed for their expense. It's a temporary measure."

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Bayo and Lille starlet Yves Dabila were said to be two of the players affected by the issue.

The Ivorian Football Federation have reportedly suffered from financial problems because they are rebuilding stadiums to host the 2023 African Cup of Nations.